


The Annual Thanksgiving Tradition

by Legendaryloversforever



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Holidays, Love, tradition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-08-30 18:49:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8545012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legendaryloversforever/pseuds/Legendaryloversforever
Summary: It is the gang's annual Thanksgiving feast, this year Barney and Robin are hosting for the first time since getting married. They are bad at hosting things and are horrible cooks but this year they are going to try and make it a good and happy Thanksgiving for the gang. A Happily married future B/R The gang in 2016 and beyond.





	1. Thanksgiving Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it's almost that time of the year again so I wanted to write something on Thanksgiving. It is almost Thanksgiving so I wanted to write the gang in the future, turns out this turned into a B/R fic instead of a gang fic. So, I wanted to explore a happily married Barney & Robin in the future as well as the gang and what they're up to. I came up with this idea, B/R in the future starting from 2016 (the awful failnale year for my beloved couple) so I came up with this idea to share and I hope you'll like it.
> 
> Story: Starting in 2016, Barney and Robin host the gang's annual Thanksgiving feast, it's a tradition in the gang and everyone in the gang get to host it once a year. This time however, Barney and Robin host it and it's their first party that they're hosting since getting married.

2016

Thanksgiving, was always the time of the year when the gang dropped everything that they were doing to come together as a family. But, over the years, the gang's small family of five became a family of many. On, this day every years they all come together at someone's house. In the times when it was just the five of them, Marshall, Lily, Ted, Robin and Barney the usual Thanksgiving get-together was at Ted's old apartment. But, now the gang isn't just the five of them and they don't live in that apartment anymore. Every year, on this day the gang although everyone is scattered around and not together much as they were back in their 20s and 30s, they still get together every year at someone's house. Last years Thanksgiving get together, was at Ted and Tracy's house. The house just finished being renovated, it took years for the house that was pretty much a wrecking ball that should have hit it long before Ted even bought that raggedy old house. But, after so many years and a lot of time getting the house to look more like a home. Ted and Tracy, finally moved in to it a couple of months before last years Thanksgiving.

The two Thanksgiving's before that though, was supposed to be hosted by Marshall and Lily. However, those plans never happened due to Marshall and Lily going to Italy, and Lily being pregnant and taking care of her kids and trying to make something of her new found art career. She had minimal success in Italy, but nothing bigger came of her moving their for her job so after a half year, they decided to go back home to New York. With, two kids and Marshall trying to find a new law job they were too busy to do the gang's annual Thanksgiving get together. But, this year. This year, Barney and Robin are hosting the annual get together. They didn't want to do it at first but with Marshall and Lily not being able to host this year again and Ted and Tracy backing out since they held the get together last year. It was all up to them to decide if they wanted to host this years Thanksgiving.

"No, absolutely not. We are not the types to be hosting anything, if I need to remind you of the last two events you or I or both of us had to host, it really didn't go as well as either of us wanted." Barney, had just came home from work on this day, it was four days before Thanksgiving and after being cooped up in an office all day, he didn't want to come home to start an argument over Thanksgiving with his wife.

"I know, the last two events didn't go as we hoped but nobody wants to do this years feast so at last minute Tracy called me before to ask me if we can host it this year. I couldn't really say no, you know how she is, she never let's me get an answer in edge wise so before we hung up and after telling her no a few times, I gave in and decided to have this get together here this year. Tracy is so persuasive, I just can never say no to her. She reminds me of you, in that sort of way." Barney looks at her with an odd look but kind of understands what she means by Tracy being able to get her way almost all of the time since they known her.

"She's also kind of like Lily too, although she's not pushy like she is." True, Robin thought. Wow, this gang is a bit insane if you ask her but what else can she do now that she agreed to host this event this year.

"Alright, fine but if anything goes wrong it's not my fault." Barney, hates hosting these kinds of gatherings because it always ends up being too chaotic and crazy by the end of it. But, the good thing is is that he won't be slapped anymore since that is over and will never happen again at any time.

"Fine. I will call Tracy and tell her that we're hosting." Robin, picks up her phone and goes into the bedroom to call Tracy to tell her that this years Thanksgiving will be hosted by her and Barney even if they don't want to do it.

"Yeah, hi Trace. I talked to Barney about Thanksgiving and we are fine to host this year." Robin, hated how easy it was for Tracy to get her to cave whenever she wants to say no or get out of something. Ever, since her wedding day it's been that way between the two girls but just like how she used to be with Lily, she caves and gives in every single time she wants to not do something.

"Oh, great thanks Robin. Ted and I just don't feel like doing this again this year and since I'm pregnant it's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. You know I would host it but it's just to hectic and crazy for me to do it this year again. Maybe, next year when after we have this baby." Robin, kind of felt bad that it seemed like Tracy wanted to host again this year but due to her pregnancy she didn't feel up to it and she agrees that she shouldn't be hosting this either.

"Your welcome, I'm sorry I was agitated earlier but me and Barney are horrible cooks and not great at hosting things like this. It's why before you came into the gang Lily always did Thanksgiving. But, we are happy to host it." Robin, tells her sounding sincere and a bit saddened by the tone of Tracy's voice on the other end of the line.

"We will see you on Thursday. Bye, Robin thanks again for doing this for me and all of us." Tracy and Robin say their goodbyes and hang up both smiling happy that they have gotten to really become great friends in such a short period of time since knowing each other.

Robin, really loves Tracy and thinks of her as a best friend. Robin, is forever thankful to Tracy for helping her with her slight mental breakdown on her wedding day. If it wasn't for her, she would've made the biggest mistake of her life and she would never get over that and would have regretted it every day of her life. But, Robin is ever thankful for Tracy knocking some sense into her and calming her down that day, she married the love of her life and hasn't regretted doing so, if she left Barney all alone at the alter that day she would have lived her life with the biggest regret of it. Letting, down the only person in her life she's ever truly cared about and loved so deeply.

"So, how did the call go?" Barney, asked when she reappeared from the bedroom looking up from her own cell phone to give her his full attention.

"Good. Thursday, is all set up. We do have to tell other people, even if it is last minute." Robin, says as she comes to sit down next to her husband on the couch. Barney puts his phone on the coffee table, then turns to Robin smiling.

"Great. I have to tell my mom and brother that we're hosting our first Thanksgiving as a married couple and it only took us three years." He says this as a joke but all that Robin can think of is that Tracy really, truly was her lifeline on the day of her wedding. She can't help thinking that it would've liking ruined both her life and Barney's if she left him as the alter that day.

"What?" Barney asks, wondering why she's looking at him all weird but with this glow of shine in her eyes.

She doesn't say anything, all she does is leans in pulling him into her kissing him deeply and passionately since he came home. If, she made that huge mistake it would've ruined her life beyond repair, breaking this man's heart for the millionth time broke her heart even more than all the other times he broke her heart it makes it all the more heartbreaking.

"Wow, what was that for?" Barney asked after they broke the kiss. His head was spinning at how unexpected and thrilling that kiss was. He wasn't expecting such love all of a sudden, but he isn't saying he doesn't like this sudden brush of love over his lips.

"I love you. I hope you know how much, because it's true I do love you." She tells him, causing his mouth to break into a more bigger smile than he had since breaking that kiss.

"I love you too." He tells her sincerely, he really doesn't know how he got this lucky to have this amazing woman as his wife but somewhere in his life he did something right by making her his wife, his forever. Having Robin in his life and making her his wife was the best thing to ever happen to him.

A second later she's giving him this eye of 'I want you now' that kind of look when she needs to let him know just how much she loves him and how much she needs him, almost making that huge mistake three years ago would've killed her heart of regret but at last minute she knew she couldn't leave the man she loves so dearly and so deeply behind without even a note as to why she had ran away from him and her happiness.

He grabs her hand and they get up from the couch, he drags her to the bedroom and for the next hour and a half she definitely showed him just how much she needs him to know how much it was true, she loves him just as much now as she did on their wedding day and if she made that mistake it really would've ruined her life forever.

The next morning, Barney is suited up ready for work as he talked to his mother on the phone about his Thanksgiving plans. He hoped that Loretta was free for Thursdays annual feast, he knows she would love to come and hopes she does since it's the first time ever actually hosting something that isn't fake, and he's hosting it with Robin.

"So, yes mom we're having Thanksgiving here this year if you'd like to come we would love to have you here." He tells her, walking over to the coffee pot pouring himself some hot liquid after the night he had with Robin, he barely slept because they couldn't keep their hands off each other or lips away from either one's body long enough to actually sleep. He needs the coffee, but hopes Loretta says she's free and coming to the Thanksgiving he's hosting.

"Of, course dear Sam and I would love to come. I just have to talk to him first so I'll call you back to let you know, okay." Loretta, had made previous plans for Thanksgiving with Sam and his family. After, Sam proposed they had been planning a wedding but Sam wanted to spend Thanksgiving this year with Loretta and his family. But, Loretta was thrilled that Barney called and asked her if she wanted to come to his dinner feast this year instead.

"Okay, talk to you later I gotta go to work." They say their goodbyes and hang up, just in time for Robin to appear behind him, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Good morning, I woke up and you weren't in bed with me. I felt kind of alone, but I'm glad you're still here and not one foot towards the GNB building." She says, smiling as she presses her face against his upper back, he smiles to himself then turns around in her embrace.

"Good morning, to you too. My, my you're a sex kitten aren't you, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Barney, loves all the loving he's getting right now from her but he's curious to know what's going on with this sudden need to want him in the way she does right now and last night.

"I-," She pauses trying not to get too emotional about this but he should know about this now and she couldn't allow herself to keep it from him any longer than she needs to. "I, remember right before we got married, that little moment in the reception tent, when you came to me to tell me that you weren't going to lie to me anymore?" She wanted to make it up to him, to apologize for the way she was acting right in that moment before he showed up in the tent and made that beautiful vow to her. She, had kept this inside since that day but now she needs him to know that she's sincerely sorry about the way she was acting that day.

"Yeah, why?" He asks, wondering why she's bringing that moment up after all it is three years since that time, it's weird to bring anything from their wedding up at this time in their lives.

"Well, before you came to me in the tent and told me that you weren't going to lie to me anymore." He nods as he listens to what she's telling him.

"Right, before you came to me I had ran into Tracy." She says and he interrupts with "Yeah, I know about that moment you told me before, when we were at our reception." She nods in agreement remembering she did tell him about her run in with Tracy.

"Right, but what you don't know is that I only ran into her because I was running away from our wedding." And, the look on his face changed with curious to worried in a second flat.

"Well, I knew that too. Why are you bringing this up now?" He asks, wondering why it was so important to bring up that time when she would've broken his heart even more than it already was, but he doesn't hold it against her, he freaked out that day too but he put that behind him because the only thing he's ever wanted was to marry her because he loved her more than anything else in that moment on their wedding day.

"Because, I want to apologize for running away from you, from us again. I've been beating myself up all this time, regretting that I ever felt like giving up on the only thing that made me happy. You." It's the most honest she's ever been in her life and with him but he needs to know that she's absolutely, 100% truthful and honest and sorry for wanting to leave him at the alter over some small issues she has had for along time.

"Robin, look at me." She wasn't looking at him, she couldn't because if she did she would just break down and that couldn't happen right now. But, she looks up anyway hoping that he's not angry with her over that little minor screw up moment she had before they got married.

"I get it, really I do but don't beat yourself up over being worried, scared and concerned about my commitment to you. I was scared too, I even wanted to escape the wedding out the window for a while there, but I didn't because I realized that I couldn't let you down again. I couldn't leave you like that, because, I would've hated myself all over again knowing I let you down if I ran from our wedding." She looks at him with tears in her eyes, fully regretting ever thinking of letting him down again just like he let her down many other times before.

"Hey, I don't hold that brief moment of worry against you. I could never hold anything you did against you, if I did I would have lost you to something or someone else. I just couldn't let you down after the whole park, locket fiasco. I forgive you, no actually I forgave you along time ago and I don't need to forgive you for having doubts about me before our wedding. So, trust me when I say that I love you anyway, sure you were scared about my commitment to you but don't ever think I don't love you enough to not hold something you did against you." As, she wiped her eyes with her hand he hands her a tissue and smiles widely at her.

"I love you, Robin don't ever doubt my love for you because I love you more than anything and I'll say this for your ears only, although I think I might have confessed this to Ted. But, I love you more than anyone, ever and I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy and trying to make you proud of me. Because, Robin Scherbatsky-Stinson I love you so damn much." And, she's crying again just as she was trying to stop the tears they come out more fuller and faster than they were before.

"Barney, Stinson how did I get so lucky to have you in my life?" And, he wonders the same thing. Every, single day he wonders why she loves him the way she does and how he got so lucky that she actually does love him.

He, shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "I guess we both got lucky, huh?" Still smiling, he continues. "I know, we've made some mistakes in the past and if I held all those mistakes against you or myself I would probably die of breaking your heart."

"You, know the biggest mistake was not being honest with myself. When, I chose to stay with Kevin." And, now it was getting too serious and he's going to be late for work so he tells her…

"Don't worry about it, okay? I love you and I forgave you for that along time ago. Again, I can't begin to hold something I couldn't control against the woman I love more than myself. It was your decision to make, I tried to tell you then that I loved you and I did and still do. I never stopped or could stop loving you more than I can stop breathing." And, now she's thinking this is getting a bit too mushy and romantic with the things he's saying so she ends the conversation with.

"I know. I am sorry for that whole situation but Barney, I did love you then and I love you even more now than ever before." He smiles even more brighter, thinking it's good to talk about this stuff even if it's old news and something he tried putting behind them a while ago.

"I know, I love you too. Always!" He smiles and gives her a kiss before grabbing his suit jacket and coat to leave for work he was already 10 minutes late to work but hey he could do anything he wants because he's the boss now.

"See, you later." He tells her, walking to the door.

"Oh, my mom said that she needs to talk to Sam about Thanksgiving but she said she wants to come." And, with that he leaves to work thinking that things have gotten even better with marriage. His life, now has been fulfilled with so much love and understanding and Robin was the only person who he trusted enough to not truly hurt him as much as she thinks he has.


	2. Decisions and Life Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney gets some phone messages about his and Robin's Thanksgiving feast and Barney and Robin make some life decisions that will impact their lives in the near future. Robin, also apologizes for some past decisions of her own. Thanksgivings is only two days away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a bit cheesy, actually really cheesy. I wanted to do one more chapter on Robin's POV because I think it's very important to show where Robin's head is right now and what she was thinking before her wedding and the years before that. I wanted to continue with what I was doing in the first chapter, continuing where it left off. This has a lot of canon things in this story especially in this chapter, it's basically a throwback chapter but there is also some not canon parts in this story in which I had to include to show that some parties hasn't gone well. I didn't explain exactly what happened at the party in this chapter it's not really important but what did happen was a fight between two people at that party that were invited nothing too big or important to tell but this party is important to B/R's decision that will come later in this story.
> 
> I wanted to tell a story where both Barney and Robin are happy in their marriage and where they are at in their lives together. This is mostly a holiday fic but is also a growth fic with a little into what is going on in their lives. It's important to let you'll know now that there won't be any slapbet in this story but there will be a bet later in the story in a few chapters later in the story. Robin and Barney decided to do something in their lives together that both really did want but put off for the last few years because it wasn't important due to their jobs and the careers they are having at this time in their lives.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I'm glad people are liking this so far. I will update again before Thanksgiving and then the day of Thanksgiving because the next two chapters deal with the beginning of the feast and Thanksgiving.

It was only 10am and there was already five missed calls as he entered his office. Barney, had been the boss and head CEO of GNB for six months now. But, the decision to take this position over from Bilson when he left the company wasn't the most easy decision he's made. It had taken him a month to actually really think about taking this position and even though he didn't want to take over the company, a company he had just took down a few months earlier wasn't easy to decide. After, some consideration and deep thinking, he finally took over the job for his former boss once he left a year ago. It was a good decision, one he didn't regret taking and he is glad that he took it because it was likely that he would have never found a job with this type of pay again, plus the whole take over of the company wasn't a very good thing to put on a resume. So, he took it and he was happy doing so.

Now, the company isn't doing anything illegal and is now as popular Chase Morgan and it was all because Barney helped the company take over the biggest account the bank has ever had. It made Barney one of the biggest CEO's in the banking industry and the New Yorker did a whole page interview with him once that account went through without any problems. The last party that Barney and Robin hosted was his promotion, at first it was going good, the party started off with light conversation and a toast to Barney that Robin had given.

"Barney, I am so proud of you. After you made that decision to take this position I was proud of you because you truly did something good to prove to the world that you can be something bigger at GNB. You, not only proved to all of us here that you did something great with your career but I always knew you were smart and you took that smarts and did something great with it. I am so glad that you took this job, after I turned down my promotion I knew I did it because I was okay that I didn't take it, and happy with staying here in New York with you and my family." She points to her best friends and smiles then her eyes are back on the main man of the evening.

"I am so happy and proud to be your wife. So, here's to the smart, handsome, loving, awesome man I married only a year ago. To, Barney!" Everyone at the party cheered and shouted a congratulations at Barney who was standing in front of Robin as she said what she wanted to say to him about taking this new position, but not too close about three feet away from where she stood.

She kisses him with a smile plastered on her beaming and supportive face then they broke the kiss with the same smiles on their faces.

"I'm really proud of you, Barney I knew you could do something good with the crooked company you were working for." Robin, had never been so proud and happy about something but it was good because she was genuinely proud of what he did to take down the bad company and all them big bosses that made the company become the way it had became in all the years since Barney had been working for the company.

"Thanks. It was a good decision, not an easy one mind you but a good decision plus I kind of took it because of you and us, the money helps us both especially if we decide what we had been discussing yesterday." And, Robin realizes that it was the best and smartest decision she had made not taking that International Correspondent job. Because, if she did take that job it would have probably not been a good idea for her, Barney or their relationship. She made the right decision, she's more than happy being the head anchor and manager of the offices at WWN.

Yes, there was another position that was open which was managing the offices where she had started at when she first took the job as the researcher at WWN. Since, Sandy Rivers left she was a big shot at the network and an even bigger personality which was all due to the mishap with the helicopter she landed a few years ago.

"I know I was debating on taking that international job but not taking it was a good and smart decision too, if you are still sure about wanting what we talked about last night, then I'm sure too." And, they smile again at each other realizing for the first time in their lives that marriage made them both change, a lot in the last year and making these tough decisions about their jobs was the right thing to do, for both of them, for their family.

Barney, sat at his desk listening to the calls he had missed. Getting five missed calls so early in the day wasn't new, in fact he has gotten a lot of missed calls, messages, unanswered, forgotten calls, important and not important calls. But, that's all because he's the boss now at this company. However, these calls are actually good calls, so he starts checking his calls and thinking to himself that it's kind of nice to be such a big shot at the company he just took down.

But, he's proud that he took this job now that the company is actually decent and does good work and actually does charity which was something new and something Barney wanted in the wake of his take down.

There, were five missed calls all from someone in his immediate family or his friend-family.

Yes, hey Barney thanks so much for doing Thanksgiving this year Tracy and I are so thankful that you can take this off our hands, at least for just a day – Ted.

Barney, Tom and I can make it we didn't really have any plans yet because we have been pretty busy with our jobs and other things but we can make it, it is your first hosting gig since you got married. We will see you on Thursday – James.

Hey, Wuv Wuv I'm just returning your call from this morning. Sam and I can make it but we will be a little late because Sam wants to spend sometime with his family too since we had already made those plans previous from your invite. But, we can make it. Love you, Wuv Wuv – Mom.

I am so glad you're doing this years Thanksgiving. Oh, My, God it's Barney and Robin's first ever Thanksgiving since you got married. This is so going in the Barney and Robin forever book. See, you Thursday – Lily.

Hey, Barney it's your father. I got your call, we would love to come on Thursday – Jerry.

Well, that's all set now. He definitely has to get a turkey fit for at least fifteen people twenty at the most. But, he and Robin has to figure out how they are going to do that. After all, this is their first ever Thanksgiving hosting since getting married and they are both a bit worried and nervous that this won't go good. They both knew that they were bad at hosting and cooking, although Barney seems to be the better cook and baker than Robin. Of course, that was a secret thing he liked to keep to himself not even Robin knew that he was a decent cook, not Lily or Tracy decent or good but still decent enough to do most of the cooking. They can buy store bought pies, and other desert items.

"Hey, babe I just received some calls from the fam. My, mom and dad are going to come but my mom and Sam will be a bit late, they have to go to Sam's family first before coming to our feast. But, both parents are coming. Ted and Lily also called to thank us for hosting Thanksgiving. So, everything's on for Thursday..." The first thing Barney did was call Robin to let her know that the main people they invited to this have RSVP'd. But, the moment he stopped saying what he needed to he heard Robin shouting through the phone.

"Barney, I can't do this. We can't do this. We need to call this whole shin dig off. I have no idea how we are supposed to do this. We are not those people, we are not cooks or good hosts. The last events we hosted didn't go good. WE, we can't do this..." She's hysterical, Barney wants to calm her down but he couldn't get a word in over her shouting at him over the phone.

"Robin, calm down. Please. Don't worry, we can do this. Together we can do anything. I was actually thinking just now about what to have for food and what to do on getting the food on the table." Robin, tried to calm down but she was still shaking and crying over the phone.

But, she calmed down a little to express some more concerns about this feast they're hosting in just two days.

"I-I'm not a cook, Barney I don't even know how to work this oven. I should know how to work this oven, it should be easy. I'm a fast learner." She keeps rambling on and on about how worried she is that this thing will go so very wrong just as the other events they hosted went. But, Barney had a plan and has been thinking about this since coming to work this morning.

"Okay, don't worry. I was thinking that I will cook. I know I've never really shown my culinary skills, but I'm a darn good cook and can bake." This had Robin stopping in her tracks and her rambling hysterics to pause thinking how she never knew that he even knew how to use his own oven.

"Ho-How did I not know that you could cook?" She seemed stunned and her tone of voice died down a lot since the last time she talked which was good Barney thought. She's confused and shocked that her husband seems to know how to cook all of a sudden, she can't believe it.

"Yeah, here's the thing about me Robin, if you hadn't known me by now you would know that I have many talents, skills and secrets. I have known how to cook for most of my life my grandmother taught me how to bake I just taught myself how to cook. You, even saw me tossing food around at that Japanese restaurant a few years ago." Oh, right she had totally forgotten about that. That wasn't a really happy time for her, she had totally forgotten about that because that time brought back too many painful memories. Memories, of Barney. She had never told him about this, her breakdown during that time. He knew about Kevin and how that came to be but not the events before that, that led to Robin meeting Kevin and her life changing because of her unresolved feelings for Barney that never went away even when she was dating Kevin and cheating on Kevin with Barney.

That year was the worst year and time of her life she had tried so hard to forget about that time and erase the most painful, horrible, nightmare of a time that she tried to put behind her.

"I forgot about that. Thank god, you know how to cook because for the life of me I don't even know how to work this darn oven and I've tried for the last two hours but the timer is weird and the only oven I knew how to used had burners on them. You are my hero..." She was trying for two hours to figure out how this oven worked because she wanted to pre-prepare for Thursday and wanted to get a head start on the cooking.

"So, don't worry about it okay your husband will save the day." He said in a teasing tone and she laughed, it was always nice to hear her laugh it's his favorite thing about her, well one of his favorite things about her ability to never have his face with a frown ever again.

"Thank you, thank you babe you don't know how much I love you right now." She would jump him right now if they weren't on the phone in two different places.

"You're welcome. I love you too, I will teach you the oven when I come home later." They stay on the phone for another two minutes talking randomly then hang up with more I love you's telling each other that they will see the other later.

When he came home hours later he found Robin sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and watching TV, a hockey game. She looked so very… Robin, and secretly he loved this Robin. Although, the excitement that she has sometimes with hockey games is a bit much but he wouldn't love her any less.

"Hey." He walks in, taking a pause as he watches Robin looking peaceful and in her element after the freak out she had this morning it was so nice to see her like this.

"Hi." Robin, says turning her head to look at Barney standing near the door with a big cheesy smile on his face.

"What?" She asks, feeling a bit weird with the way he is looking at her right now.

"Nothing, I just like you like this. It's just, it's so Robin Scherbatsky." She smiles at that, knowing that that was a term of endearment she laughs at that a second later and shakes her head.

"You're so full of surprises today." She says, sweetly getting up from the couch to walk over to him still standing by the door.

"Well, you know me. I'm always full of surprises, I'm king of surprises after all one of those surprises made you my wife." And, once again he's full of cheesy lines but she likes it.

That's how it's been since they got married. He's still full of surprises every day and she's still loving it up and loving him more in this marriage. It makes her life so fulfilling and she's never been this happy before in her life, she realizes that marrying Barney was the best and smartest decision she's ever made, ever…

"So, did you try figuring out the oven?" He asked, after they had a very passionate kiss by the door.

Barney and Robin had moved from the doorway to the couch after this talking about their day. Both, had realized that they needed each other more than they thought because marriage has changed them both for the better and it still hasn't changed them for the person they fell in love with.

"No, I gave up after I called you. That thing seems to hate me, I think it has a vendetta or something against me." He laughs and she hits him but it's all in good fun.

"Okay, then let's go see what's going on with this bad girl." He says it in a sexy kind of tone which had her teasing back "it's a naughty, naughty girl." She follows up, then he takes her hand and they go towards the kitchen so he can show her how to use it, even though he will be using it most to cook Thursday's meal.

A few minutes later, showing her how to use the oven turned into a sexual showing and before they knew it they were making love on top of it.

"Well, that was… Awesome." They say in unison, high fiving in that moment.

"We're going to have to really clean that oven before we use it." She says, knowing that they will be starting to cook tomorrow and they can't do that with the marks of them on it.

"Totally." He says, pulling her into him more, she rests her head on his shoulder and they fall asleep soon after in their bed. They had moved from the oven to the bedroom for the second round of sex after getting all the sexed up tension out of them.


	3. The Happiest Of Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney and Robin both remember a time in their lives when they weren't happy. While, preparing for Thanksgiving they talk about cooking and how to use the oven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit sexual, so I wanted to warn you all that there's a small part of this chapter that is a bit sexual but overall this chapter is mostly Barney and Robin preparing for their hosting debut for Thanksgiving. Like I said, there won't be anymore flashbacks for a while, just mentions of the past in Canon I wanted to show just how miserable B/R were before they got engaged and I think this is a good way to show that. Next chapter will be up on Thanksgiving, that chapter is the beginning of Thanksgiving and Barney and Robin hosting, this chapter isn't a really big chapter it's not really important but I wanted to clear some stuff up that kind of annoy me. But, there will be more of past things and flashbacks but for now this story is heading towards Thanksgiving. I was going to have the turkey in this chapter get destroyed but decided against that because it wasn't important either to put in this chapter, but there will be mishaps and things going wrong on Thanksgiving so I didn't think it was necessary to do for this chapter.

It was one day until Thanksgiving, after really, actually showing Robin how to use his oven an oven he had bought before he proposed to Robin and right after breaking up with Quinn. He had a bit of an emotional breakdown between those two times in his life, the worst time in his life was the time right before he met Quinn and right after he broke up with her and then proposing to Robin, which was the best time in his life because she said yes to him after months of agony over what had happened that previous November with Robin. But, when he had that breakdown of sleeping around (although not as much as he used to) and redecorating his apartment he knew then that he had to find a way to get Robin back for good which had him creating the final page of the playbook and proposing to Robin. He didn't go into that night thinking that she would say yes, after all he didn't know how she truly felt although he knew that there were still feelings there, he didn't know if she was in love with him. By, the yelling that night that came from her he was sure she would say no but the emotions of that night and her smile saying yes made all the worries he had before thinking she would say no go away. That night, changed their lives forever and he was happy that he had made the decision to propose to Robin, giving her one last chance to truly be with him if she said no he wouldn't have pursued her anymore, because he would have known that was her final answer to him.

Making that decision was the smartest move he's ever made for a woman especially Robin. But, those feelings he had for her and the feelings she had for him sealed their fate and it was the best night of his life and the best decision he's ever made. Knowing, that Robin still did love him just as much as he still loved her and that decision changed their opinions on relationships, marriage, commitment, partnership and love. They wouldn't be where they are now without his one last push to try and make Robin his, forever.

So, now it's only 24 hours till their Thanksgiving feast and the first time they would take on the hosting gig that had everyone in the gang host in other years. They were both nervous and worried about how this day and hosting will go but it was a start to show Robin how to use his oven.

Of course, Barney and Robin had taken this day and the next two days off work so they could prepare for this day. Barney had shown her how to use the oven earlier this morning and even though he was doing the cooking and she didn't really have to do any cooking, she still wanted to help him cook and prepare for tomorrow's festivities so now she knows how to use it, the bitch had it out for her but she concurred the machine within an hour of him showing her how to use the oven.

"So, now that you know how to use this. You can help me start making the side dishes, I will make the turkey myself later it won't take long but it does take about 4 hours maybe 5 for it to cook fully. But, I wanted to be sure that it goes well and cooks properly so that's why I'm going to cook the turkey. Plus, I had to buy a bigger turkey than I had originally wanted but because there will be more people coming than we thought I had to get a bigger one." Barney, had just finished showing her how to use the oven and for the first time since yesterday the oven didn't actually have a vendetta against Robin, she was just overreacting and worried about how this event will go.

"Okay. Let's start so we can get this head start. I can start the mashed potatoes, I actually do know how to make that." She says, taking the box of store bought potatoes and started to cook that while Barney started cooking the stuffing, which he would stuff the turkey with later on today after the turkey is done cooking.

By, the time they got to the yams, they both were getting a bit tired cooking but they finished doing the original side dishes in time for Barney to start the turkey. While, Robin went to take a nap, Barney started the turkey, preparing it first then putting it in the oven, then he set the time for exactly four hours, then he sighed shutting the oven door then went to join Robin in bed. They really didn't get much sleep the night before, due to their sexual activities and had woken up at 7 to start cooking. He had to first show her how the oven worked before they started the actual cooking. The next thing he had to do was bake the pies, he first wanted to buy store bought pies but decided against that so he could bake his own pies. He couldn't bake those until tomorrow morning, but the main courses were first to be cooked because of the hours it takes to cook the turkey.

So, he joined Robin in bed after putting the turkey in the oven. He yawned and pulled her into him, she was passed out already, when he came to the room which meant last night's activities really did tire her out along with the cooking they did this morning. It was now 1pm when he came into the room, the turkey would likely be done at four pm. He kissed her hair before closing his own eyes and going to sleep himself, she didn't even budge at all at his movement in the bed or him pulling her close to him which was good because it wasn't his intention to wake her up.

They slept for about three hours, when Robin woke up she found herself laying in bed with Barney who is still asleep next to her. She smiles lightly to herself before getting out of bed, she glanced over at a sleeping Barney who seemed so peaceful in his sleep. She realized that she hadn't taken a shower since yesterday morning so she went to the bathroom and closed the door trying not to make any sounds to wake up her very asleep and peaceful husband. Her, life is so much more happier than ever before, she's at her happiest when it's just him and her, laying in bed together in earlier mornings or going to sleep late at night after a long day at work. Those were always her favorite times of the day, and it had become even more priority in her life to make both her and him happy. No, matter what happens in their lives or what had happened in the past, she will always remember her most happiest of times and it was always when it was just them, together in their apartment on lazy Sunday mornings or busy weekdays, it was always so good to just be home with her husband laying on the couch together and curling up watching a movie or a sporting event. Those were always her most happiest of times.

It only took two minutes after she started to shower for Barney to wake up, alone in his bed. He first looked at the empty spot in the bed beside him and saw that Robin wasn't there, then he checked the time on his bedside table, it was 3:15 when he woke up feeling fully rested but also alone in his bed. Wondering, where Robin was, he looked around the room then heard the shower going realizing that she must be in the shower. He smiled to himself and got out of bed, realizing another thing that he hadn't done yet today. Take a shower, the last shower he took was the morning before today, with Robin. So, he goes into the bathroom relieved that the door was unlocked. As, he walked in he heard Robin humming to herself, she was humming Sandcastles In The Sand. The familiar tune, made him smile again to himself listening to her humming his all time favorite song.

Joining her in the shower after listening for a minute to her humming from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist as her eyes were closed as she was washing her hair. Spooking her, she didn't even know he was there so when she felt his hands around her she jumped a little scared that he spooked her, but she was happy to have him there.

"Hi, sorry to scare you. I thought it would be nice to join you, after all I haven't had a shower since, well yesterday." He tells her, as his hand starts to move down her stomach and up her stomach in a slow motion movement.

The feel of his teasing hand on her stomach had her moan in pleasure throwing her head back against his cheek. Not that she was complaining or anything but this was another favorite time of hers, this moment, alone with him, in the shower, this intimate but in her mind quite romantic moment was possible her favorite of times since she's been married. Knowing she wouldn't ever be alone, showering by herself for the rest of her life was the best most thrilling of a feelings she's ever had.

Her hair was still a bit soapy with shampoo, but she didn't care, being in this embrace with him was the best part of this day so far. Even, though it's only 3:30 in the afternoon. His, hand moves more downward, and before she knew it she was turning in his arms, kissing him deep and long wanting to participate in this intimate and favorite kind of moment she loves so much. She breaks the kiss, causing him to whimper at her mouth leaving his. And, before he knew she was kissing her way down his abed stomach, taking him a second later in her mouth and now it's his turn to throw his head back in a moan of pleasure. This has to be the best thing about being married and knowing she's the only one he will ever want giving him the best most perfect blow job right now. The only, woman he's ever or will ever want giving him this amazing, wonderful feeling of pleasure but knowing it's not only just pleasure it's part that, part love. Knowing that he's forever going to have only her do this to him for the rest of their lives and he wouldn't have dreamed of another women by his side for the rest of his life.

Because, only one woman, the woman he loved most in the world is his wife. He wouldn't have ever thought his life would be this perfect even before he met Robin. But, it is amazing that he gets to wake up next to this amazing woman and go to sleep next to her every night for the rest of his life.

It took another 10 minutes to actually shower after they had made love in the shower. Almost, cutting too close in the time to check on the turkey. It was now 3:55 when their love making ended, Robin had gotten out of the shower leaving Barney to shower alone, but before she left he asked her to check to turkey and place the thermometer in the middle of the turkey to test to see if it's ready.

Barney, quickly showered getting out three minutes later. Drying off and putting the towel around his waist, leaving the bathroom to go check on the turkey himself. When, he entered the kitchen Robin was there in front of the oven, she had already checked the turkey testing it as he instructed her to do.

"So, I checked the turkey it seems like it's ready but I wasn't too sure if it was really done yet though." She tells him, he gives her a quick kiss and says a thank you to her for checking the turkey.

"Well, you're right it isn't quite ready yet but it will be soon. I will make the pies first thing in the morning it will take a few hours to make but I can be pretty fast when I'm baking. Much faster than I am when I'm cooking." He shuts the oven door and turns to Robin who was standing behind the counter waiting to see what he thinks about the turkey and if it's ready to take out.

They, both were thinking the same thing. They could have stayed in the shower a bit longer, but due to Barney worried about the turkey time, he wanted to quickly shower and not take long so he can check the turkey.

"Okay, I am just glad that we actually made this dinner. This whole feast, I can't believe we actually did it, together and nothing bad had happened yet." And, They both agree realizing they are quite the team together making the food for tomorrow's feast and nothing bad had happened yet.

"See, I told you that you didn't have to worry. Your, awesome husband had it handled and so far so good nothing bad had happened so far." She, walks over just a step to embrace him in her arms giving him an even longer kiss than the kiss a bit ago.

"I'm glad, I didn't think we could actually do this whole hosting thing but we seemed to have pulled it off without any mishaps so far. And, you really are a good cook, who knew you could actually cook but I'm glad that we did this and you showed me that we can actually do something together if we put our minds together, as a team and work together." She says, in a light tone highfiving Barney and smiling thankful to have him in her life and his amazing cooking skills.

"See, I told you we can do anything if we're together. We were always a good team, we always have made a good team together we just had to be married to work as a team and not how we used to be. Independence is a good thing but being a team is even better because it's nice to be part of a team for once in my life." And, she agrees with that too because for most of her life she had been single and didn't think she needed anyone to be a team.

But, she actually did and she was glad to be a part of a team for once in her adult life. They really do make one awesome team though.

After, this Barney checked on the turkey again 10 minutes later and it was then ready to be taken out of the oven. He turns it off and sets it on the kitchen counter. When it starts to cool off he will stuff it with the stuffing, his own homemade stuffing which was his grandmother's recipe.

"So, tomorrow's the day. So, far things are going good, nothing bad has happened and now we are just waiting to stuff the turkey with the freshly made stuffing. Tomorrow, I will bake the pies and we're officially done with the food and ready to host our first big Thanksgiving dinner since getting married." They, were now sitting on the couch watching TV talking about Thanksgiving and the plans they have left to do.

"Yep, I think we can actually pull this off without anything going wrong." She says, with a slight laugh in her tone realizing for the first time since they told Tracy yes to doing this years Thanksgiving that they can actually really pull this whole thing off tomorrow.

"So, tomorrow's the day. Our first ever hosting Thanksgiving, I can't believe we are really going to do this." He says, his arm resting comfortably around her back, her head resting on his shoulder as they watched the recent episode of their new favorite show.

It was now 8pm, they were exhausted from cooking and not resting much but the nap did help them stay awake until around 11 this night, they had fallen asleep as they watched the late night news. For the first time in Robin's life, she really didn't care about work, or really anything else all she's thinking about is tomorrow's Thanksgiving. Hoping that nothing won't go wrong, Barney had forgotten to stuff the turkey but that's okay he can do it tomorrow morning before he starts baking.

They, wake up a couple of hours later and went to the bedroom. They didn't even try to have sex tonight, they weren't really in the mood instead they went right to sleep. They did wake up again that following morning at 8, fully rested and ready for the day. Because, this day is going to go good or it will be a disaster, which ever way it goes they hoped it wasn't the latter.


	4. Regrets of the Past and Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin expresses some things to Barney that she has held back from him for a long time and Barney and Robin make a vow to each other with Robin making her own vow. Then, they finishes preparing for their hosting duties in a few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be totally different, I wanted to move ahead to when the feast starts but I wanted to add onto this chapter something important to the story. I had said I wasn't going to not have any canon things going on for a little while but I wanted to write this little part to this chapter because I think it's important which goes with what the story is and how the story is going from here on.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers enjoy the holiday.

"Well, we did it." The couple high fives and smiles at the table that was set up for this feast today. They had woke up early this morning to get ahead start on decorations for this get together, Thanksgiving feast. They had just finished setting the main table for the quests and themselves about 11am, after waking up early and beginning the decorations first before setting the main table and finishing in a record time. They were extremely proud of themselves, they. Barney and Robin, Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky had made a whole meal the day before, the only thing left to do is make the homemade pies that Barney needs to start before it gets too late to bake them therefore there won't be any pies for this years feast.

"We did." Robin, says both to herself and to him happy that they actually did a whole meal plus the decorations within the last day and a half. It really truly made Robin believe for the first time in her life that Barney, who didn't seem to be the person she could rely on or was someone who would normally be there for her in her time of being needed or needing something but he just proved her wrong and it made her that more in love with this man who seemed to surprised her more and more each day they were married.

"So, I should probably get to baking those pies or we won't be eating any dessert tonight." Barney, announces starting to head for the kitchen again.

They had set up the dining table and the children's table plus highchairs by the terrace doors, where the stormtrooper normally stood. They had to move it into the guest room, which was just a second bedroom and a room for Barney to put more of his suits in since he didn't have enough space in his bedroom closet to hold more of those suits. He had moved his older suits to that room before he even thought about living with someone else or even getting engaged so he wanted to make use of a room he doesn't usually have any reason to use. Now, though he does have use for it when the kids are over or they have a quest like his mom or one of their friends.

Since, they got married they made use of that room more than Barney ever had before and now that room will be a bit different in about a year from now. They had wanted to use it as a sex room at first but decided against that and just made it more of a homely room for a quest to have if they stop by announced or announced in advance.

"Wait," Robin, had grabbed his arm before he could really move anywhere. She quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back into her arms then she kisses him deep and long realizing that maybe marriage isn't so bad if it's the right guy that makes it more believable, fun, and interesting.

"Wow, what has gotten into you? You've been on this loving Barney kick for a few days. What did I do to get such lovin?" He isn't complaining at all it's just she's never been this openly hot for him, well since their honeymoon and also the night they decided to make the other big decision they both equally wanted to make, together because it's what both really did want.

"You, you're just incredible. I don't know, I've just been in awe of the shocking surprising things you've done in the last few days and it made me realize that I took you for granted." And, that's when it starts, when she finally and openly expresses her deepest regrets and insecurities for many years regarding her relationship with Barney and how her deepest regret in her life is that she underestimated her husband's abilities to really impress her and to make her happy in ways that was once so scary that it made her not understand how much Barney had this weird control over her emotions and these are the things that she fell in love with and took for granted for a long time since getting romantically involved with Barney.

"I don't think I ever told you this or anyone this, but for along time my biggest fear was that I was going to lose you someday, to someone or something else and now I realize that those fears caused me to run from being happy, being happy with you. I have ran, and ran, and ran for so long trying to pretend that you don't have this strong affect on me but I realize now that you do, and have for a long time ever since I met you. I know it took sometime for me to realize this or understand my own feelings for you, feelings that were so present and so strong for such a long time. I realize that I had taken you for granted especially on our wedding weekend and the weeks leading up to it. And, I promised myself I wouldn't think about that weekend we cheated together a few years ago but my biggest regret, well my other biggest regret on both of those occasions I hadn't truly trusted you and I realize now that it's because of how important you are in my life and if I had trusted you, then I would have trusted my heart enough to have chosen you instead of Kevin and I would have trusted that you would show up when I needed you the most that day in Central Park. If I trust in myself to trust you I would have made different decisions and I would have been happy, with you much sooner than I did." She, pauses to take a deep breath, Barney listens on almost in tears. Robin had been crying for a bit as well but she tried her best through the tears to get what she needs to tell him out, because it's been lingering in her life and theirs for a long time.

"The reason why it took me so long to come around to you, to the possibility for us to be together is because I was so afraid that if we got back together again, then it would have probably ended up like last time and I really couldn't put myself through that pain again." And, he understands her, he was just in as much pain as she was after they broke up and it truly messed them up more than they both realized. Neither, wanted to be the cause of the other one's insecurities or emotions but they did, in the end they both messed each other up in a good way because they both opened themselves up to the most scary thing that life brings you. A relationship…

"I get it, our breakup messed me up too. I was a mess for not only a few days or a month or a year it was years, and then I ran into Tracy (well I hit on her first)", they both laugh at that but go back to being serious. "Then, I ran into her and it was her who made me realize I was running too, far away but maybe not as far as you did but far enough from getting hurt again after we slept together and you chose Kevin. I got why you did that, but I was really mad at you for a long time after but I realized if I stayed angry with you then I wouldn't get to try to have another chance with you again. I, wasn't even mad or sad enough about breaking up with Quinn. I was most mad at myself for not telling you what I wanted to tell you that night on the boat and I was sad because I was still in love with you while I was with Quinn. I was at my lowest point in my life at that time, Quinn was a distraction from you, but I told myself I had to move on because you didn't have any feelings for me or even loved me." She, stops him at this point to add…

"But, I did love you then I was just so scared that I would lose you again like last time. That's why I stayed with Kevin, my feelings for him were never as strong or even truly there like they were and always have been for you. I loved you so much that I chose the easy route so I couldn't lose the only person in my life I've ever truly loved and dreamed of having the life with as we do now." They are both crying at this point and it was getting too late in time to make the pies and have it ready by 3pm so Barney jumped in to finish this conversation it was 12 now and he really needs to bake those pies. Good thing he's fast at baking so he can time this properly due to time.

"Okay, I know we both made mistake, mistakes we both regret but since I have to start those pies I am running late on time so I will tell you this..." He pauses and takes her hand in his, he realizes that it's not important of a time to pour their hearts out so he smiles and says.

"I love you, I love you more than anyone all I wanted was for you to trust enough in me that I won't be that guy I was when we first dated because I'm not anymore. I want you to trust that I will never let you down or have you not believe me, believe that I would never intentionally hurt you or do anything for you to not trust me. I meant what I told you in my vow to you and I will never break that promise. I hope you know that I never want to hurt you or be the cause of any of the pain you might go through because I will always be there for you whenever you need me. I know we aren't those needy people, and we will never be those type of people. But, I won't do anything to cause you any pain or for you to not trust me." She was almost bawling crying as he tells her this, but she understands and begins to try to get her emotions in control.

"I love you, I hope you know just how much I have tried to make you happy." And, that was the last thing he tells her before getting up to start baking the pies leaving Robin pondering what he just said.

Luckily, the next three hours go by pretty nicely but also in silence as Robin goes into the bedroom to start to get ready for her hosting duties and Barney starts the pies. The time was decent enough to get both the apple and pumpkin pies in the oven in a decent amount of time so they can bake in time before the guests start to show up. Robin, takes a shower and then gets out the dress she was going to wear for this evening following that up with fixing up her makeup and doing her hair. It was a bit longer than it was on her wedding day, she quite like her hair where it is right now because it suits her better than the short due she had for a while during a time that was the worst time in her life. Barney, meanwhile finishes the pie fillings and pops both in the oven before going into the bedroom himself to start to get ready for his hosting duties.

"So, I have about two hours to spare, the pies are in the oven and baking as they should. I'm going to go take a shower. But, as we talked about before I meant what I said." Robin, was sitting by the bedroom mirror fixing her hair and makeup when he walked in talking about the pies and what they were talking about before." He, had thought about everything that was talked about and came up with another thing to tell her, which is really important for them to finally put the past behind them and move forward because in a matter of weeks things will be changing and that won't change so they need to move on so they can move forward with their lives.

"Let's make a pact, or another vow if you will. I wanted to tell you that I want you to trust me more, even if there are times when you think you shouldn't trust me. So, I want to make this vow that if you ever feel like I'm not showing you support or aren't there for you as much as you want me to be, to tell me what you are feeling and thinking. I know I'm not the best at these kinds of conversations, you know what happened when we had to discuss feelings that day Lily locked up in your room." She nods, that was the turning point for her, that's when everything became more real and a lot more scarier because that's when she really started to fall in love with him, not that she wasn't already before that it's just after that fall day she really wanted to make this relationship and commitment with him real and true so that's what she did and it changed her life forever.

She gets up from where she was sitting in front of the mirror and walks over to where Barney was standing which was by his dresser where he was getting out underwear to change into after taking his shower.

"Okay, deal. We tell each other anything and everything even if it's the most embarrassing or emotional. We say what's on our minds no matter what, and we no longer hold anything in or back from one another. Although, I want to make my own vow to add to yours… That is, no matter what I will always be honest with you, I know you vowed to me that you were going to never lie to me. Well, I have my own vow to you that I won't ever again, hold anything back from you no matter what it is. It's the reason I was in denial about my feelings for you, it was the reason why I chose Kevin, why I didn't tell you the real reason why I was looking for my locket. I held things in for too long and it made me fall apart, I was a mess on the inside as well as the outside even though I didn't show it often, I was and the things I did and kept inside was slowly destroying me in the inside. So, that's my vow to you. I won't hold anything in or back from you from now on no matter what." A smile breaks widely on Barney's face and it reminds him why this woman is the only woman he'll ever truly love and who will always amaze him.

"Deal. We keep these vows and never hold anything in or lie to each other because that worked so well for so many heart wrenching years." They kiss after this for a couple of minutes then he goes to take his shower and she finishes her hair then starts with her makeup.

He, comes out of the shower soon later and takes out the suit he was going to wear for the day. He dresses as Robin is now completely dressed and ready for the remainder of this day.

"Wow, you look..." He pauses, looking at her up and down realizing how lucky he truly is and that it was so good for them to be more open with each other and trust each other as their relationship grows more and the marriage gets more and more great to share their lives together.

"Thank you, handsome." He had suited up, well partially suited up he had his pants and dress shirt on but not all the way buttoned yet.

They embrace for a good few minutes. In time for Robin to realize she really didn't want to mess up her newly made up hair or her makeup. Pushing him away, and smiling brightly.

"I love you, Barney Stinson." She tells him after they break the kiss and are still in an embrace, a hold that was a bit tight but they didn't care they both enjoyed these kinds of intimate moments between them.

"I love you too, Robin Stinson." She smiles at the name she's been using a lot more these days than ever before, at first she wasn't used to having his name attached to her own but in some ways it was something that connects her to him forever and so she uses it more than she does Scherbatsky but she actually loves using his name because it's apart of him, and she loves being apart of Barney Stinson, every single part of him.

Barney finishes getting dressed then goes to check on the pies. The pies were done and ready to be taken out of the oven he takes them out and places them on the counter to cool off then went back to the bedroom where Robin was putting on the finishing touches of her makeup and re-touching up her hair that was a bit messy from her and Barney's makeout session.

"So, the pies are out of the oven and done so we have about a half hour to spare until the guests start to arrive." He tells her, walking up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her back a bit into him.

"That's great, perfect timing. So, far nothing bad has happened maybe our bad luck of the past is just in the past." She tells him, closing her eyes as he holds her close. It was just like that moment when they got engaged and every single fear they had went away and it was just a magical and legendary time in their lives.

"And, nothing will happen." It's nothing he can promise but he wanted this to go well for the both of them without anything going wrong but they hoped this statement was true.

Do to not wanting to mess up her hair or makeup and him not wanting to mess up his new suit they breakup the embrace and break apart from the hold.

"We have to set up the food, we have 15 minutes to spare." He tells her, that was the final thing they needed to do before the guests start to get there.

"Right, be right there just want to clean up the mess here." Robin, begins to fix up the mess that was by the mirror on the table while Barney went into the kitchen to take the food from the counter to the main table.

She joins him after about three minutes and helped him place the food onto the main table. The final thing to put on the table was the turkey, and it looked quite delicious if Barney has to say so.

"Well, we did it. Now, we wait for the guests and whatever hell comes with it." He tried to sell this as a joke but he nor Robin was laughing but as they were thinking in the quietness of the room there was a knock at the door.

It was almost 3, just in time for the first of the 20 guests to arrive.

It was Ted and Tracy with their daughter who arrived first.


	5. Games (Changes)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney & Robin's hosting duties begin, the gang and family members and friends all come together for the annual Thanksgiving that happens every year. The hosts, play a little game after they eat the delicious meal Barney made and there will be an announcement to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wanted to put up this chapter before the end of this month and it's the end of the month lol. So, goodbye November and the Thanksgiving theme/chapters of this story. The next chapter though is the last chapter before I start writing about Christmas which will be at least two chapters with just Barney and Robin's lives and what will happen next for them. I'm not going to include the gang until New Years, but I wanted to get this Thanksgiving theme out of the way.
> 
> I wanted for this chapter to be a little different at first with the game that is in it so I changed my mind about how this game was going to go. The changes will start to happen for Barney and Robin in the next couple of chapter then there will be Christmas and New Years and a brand new year for the couple and the gang which are adding two kids to the gang. I still hope you're enjoying this story this story will not end anytime soon and it's going to go into the future to see what the couple and gang are up to.

Barney and Robin, had wanted to make this Thanksgiving feast peaceful and joyful for their guests. They were never the types to host things but they tried to make this Thanksgiving one for the record books. They, had made a whole meal in the last two days plus pies, they had invited 20 guests, their friends and family plus some people they both work with including Patrice. They, were both frantic and nervous about this feast today, frantic because they had to make a whole meal for 20 people on short notice and neither at first knew how to cook, thanks to Barney and his awesome but secretive cooking skills, he made the meal in 24 hours with a little help from Robin. They, were also running around trying to prepare for this feast and have it all done by 3pm on Thanksgiving Day. Luckily, so far everything went as planned and was done by the time their guests arrived. And, they were nervous because they wanted this day to go smoothly without any problems and so far so good on that front.

It wasn't like they were planning on wanting this day to become chaotic but by the end of this night, things didn't end up being perfect without any problems. But, as the guests arrived Barney and Robin were the ever perfect and gracious hosts.

"Welcome, to the first annual Stinson Thanksgiving feast." Their first guests were Ted, Tracy and their kids, it was a bit odd to announce themselves as hosts for this event to each guest that they invited and came to the feast. It wasn't like Barney or Robin to greet their guests so weirdly out of character but they wanted to make this something to be remembered years later after this day.

Ted and Tracy look at the couple greeting them oddly but Barney and Robin didn't really care they just wanted to make this day something to be remembered and wanted to start it off by greeting their guests in a polite and friendly manor. Ted and Tracy plus their children enter the surprisingly nicely decorated home of their friends, looking around to see all the decorations and the freshly made up table, the couple smiles nicely at each other then to Barney and Robin, shaking their heads and laughing at all the decorations and table and food around the room.

"Um, interesting the two most uninterested to details people I know actually seemed to make their first Thanksgiving feast look like they've done this 10 times already. Wow, I'm really impressed you guys, you have really out done yourselves as hosts." Ted, says looking around the nicely decorated room then back at his friends who were also smiling along with Ted and Tracy.

"Well, thank you Ted we wanted to make this day one for the ages so everything had to be perfect." Robin, says to her friend thanking any god there was that so far things are going good, they are starting off this day on a good start and a nice remark from the king and queen of Thanksgiving feasts.

"Well, you two made this day already a nice one I'm really impressed that you did all of this on such short notice but you shocked me. I really do love what you guys did, thanks again for taking the reigns of Thanksgiving hosting duties off our hands for at least this year, we really couldn't do it this year but maybe next year." Tracy, says as she sips some water that Barney handed to her a second ago.

He also handed Robin and Ted drinks along with himself.

"I'm glad you guys like it, after all you wanted for us to take this off your hands and we wanted for our first time hosting to make a big impact and be something to remembered." Barney, tells his friends sipping on his cider with a twist because he's thanking god that so far things are going good and starting off better than he thought earlier this day.

A few minutes later, Marshall and Lily were the next to arrive then Patrice and then Jerry and Cheryl.

Soon, enough most of the guests they invited arrived and soon they were all in conversation and mingling together around the room, Barney and Robin knew that they wanted this day to go off without a hitch but after most of the guests came so far there wasn't anything that went wrong and everyone had commented on the decorations and how great Barney and Robin are at being hosts.

It is now 5pm, everyone's sitting down around the main dining table with the kids beside the table at their own table. By, this time Loretta and Sam also showed up and James was a little late and wasn't there yet but everyone was getting ready to eat the big feast that Barney cooked.

Everyone, was very impressed with Barney's unexpected cooking skills. Nobody, but Robin knew that he could cook, his own mother didn't even know but she did know that he could bake because her mother taught him when he was younger. But, everyone was really impressed and thought that Barney did a wonderful job with all this food.

"Wow, Barney I'm also impressed you did all this," Lily points to all the food on the table in front of them and smiles lightly. "And, decorated the apartment without any complaints. I'm shocked that you even knew how to cook, but thank you for doing all of this this year we all appreciate it. And, Robin did you know that Barney knew how to cook?" She asks, trying to figure out why she never knew in all the years that she's known Barney that she never knew he could cook, and apparently have known how to cook all this time, it's shocking but impressive.

"No, I didn't know either. Although, I did have an idea that Barney could cook, remember when we all went to the Japanese place a few years ago and he cooked up some food with no help from anyone?" Lily, Ted and Marshall all nodded remembering that Barney had not wanted to go to any place that had rice on the menu, but secretly, he had been taking cooking lessons in New Jersey and just hated going anywhere near any place that had rice on the menu. But, they all remembered that time and Lily remembered that time because Barney wanted to see her boobs, which she kind of blushes over that fact but it was still pretty impressive that Barney knew all this time how to actually cook and wasn't embarrassed about everyone knowing this fact.

"Well, I was freaking out over the sudden hosting gig that was handed to us on such short notice. I was freaking out over how to use our oven, I even thought it had some kind of vendetta against me but after Barney showed me how to use it, I helped him make some of the food and now I know how to use it." Robin, seemed to always find something interesting about being married to Barney and in the years she's known him, he's done nothing to show the gang that he could cook or bake but surprisingly he did know and that not only impressed her but made her realize just how important Barney is to her and how much he needs her in her life.

"Well, let's toast. To, Barney Stinson who seems to shock those around him every chance he gets and puts this wonderful delicious meal together in just 24 hours. We all appreciate that you did this and didn't have many issues with doing this years Thanksgiving feast." Marshall, had started the toast standing up and taking his glass in his hand to make this thank you toast to not only just Barney but also Robin who helped him do all this amazing stuff in the last few days.

"To, Barney!" Everyone shouted, clinging glasses to glasses as they begin to start eating the nicely made meal Barney made for this feast.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door it was James and Tom minus their kids who is staying with Tom's parents for the evening. They had ran a bit late due to Tom working late and them not being able to find a babysitter. But, they made it just in time for the start of dinner.

"Hey, bro sorry we're late." James said, as soon as Barney opened the door feeling sorry for being late when he told his brother he would make it to dinner and make it on time.

"That's okay, we're just getting ready to carve the turkey. Marshall wanted to carve it, it was his only rule of being a guest tonight, plus he always carves the turkey whenever we do Thanksgiving." Barney says, as James and Tom walk into the apartment and over to the dining table to say hello to the rest of the guests at this feast.

"Well, now that everyone is finally here. I have something to say, I wanted to wait until after dinner but I think now is a perfect time to make my own speech." As, Marshall finishes carving the turkey Barney had an announcement to make, he wanted to wait until after dinner but he thinks he can start talking about this now to begin the game he had planned for this announcement.

Barney and Robin, had a huge announcement but they wanted to play a little game since it's a holiday, their first ever Thanksgiving as hosts and as a married couple, everyone who was invited is finally here and they both agreed before that they wanted to tell everyone at once and this time and place is the best way to announce the thing they wanted to. They, had made a decision, a decision that will change their whole lives for the rest of their lives and both were incredibly happy and ready for this change in their lives. Being, together is just enough for them, being married is what they want and it's good that they decided to do this special thing together because it helped move their relationship into the next step and make their marriage better, because yes they have had their problems in these three years of marriage but with all those problems and issues within their relationship making this decision was for the best for the both of them and their marriage. They are happy but there is something missing and that's why they made this huge important decision.

"Oh, okay." Everyone, pauses in what they were doing to look at their host for him to make his speech. Barney, had wanted to do this and Robin wanted this too so they decided to play a little game with their guests. It, was a simple but subtle way of telling the people around them who they love that there is going to be a change within their respective family especially the gang's lives.

"So, I want to first say that I'm thankful. I'm thankful that I have friends and family I love and who loves me. I'm thankful, with how my life has turned out. After, I spent most of my adult life so miserably unhappy with where my life was heading and how I was living it. I wasn't happy, far from it but a little conversation with a dear friend set me in the right direction." He looks over at Tracy and smiles, she smiles back remembering the sad broken man she chatted with that night on the bus bench pouring his heart out to a complete stranger, a stranger who has become his friend and someone he can lean on when times get too complicated and tough to handle.

"But, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be where I am now. With, my lovely wife and my family, but most of all I am so thankful that Robin gave me another chance. Gave us, another chance at happiness and we haven't been unhappy since getting back together." He looks at Robin and smiles brightly at her and she smiles back shaking her head in agreement with what he just said.

It is true, it's what she's been trying to make up to him since getting married and within the last couple of days. She had been broken and sad for along time, and was afraid to be happy but realized where her happiness lies and that was always with Barney. She's, forever thankful that she had found him and now trusted him more than anyone else and she believes in their love, in their relationship and in this marriage more and more every day, and she hasn't been broken, sad, independent (although she still is) or alone in the three years of marriage because being married to Barney is where she belongs, it's what makes her happy and not broken because they were both broken and sad for years but found that they could truly be happiest with only each other.

"So, Robin and I had made a decision. A decision that will change our lives (mine and Robin's) forever. It's a more recent decision but it's one that we both want and we think it's something that we both denied ourselves of wanting for along time." Everyone, around the table all eyed their hosts, looking from Barney to Robin who was seated next to him and from Robin to Barney in anticipation of what this change is about.

"But, we also decided that we should play a little game out of this decision. So, that's what we are going to do tonight. We are going to eat, enjoy this meal I self made and then we will play this game. We, wanted to make it fun and not boring of an announcement, after all we are awesome and not lame so later on we will play this little game." Barney finishes what he was saying and sits down next to his wife giving her a kiss with a smile, then they all start to dig in and start eating this lovely meal.

"Wow, Barney this meal is fantastic I can't believe you actually cooked this. It looks professionally made, I should have had you help make all the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals years ago as I slaved over them and a hot oven since I met you." Lily, says as she's half way through her meal.

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't have but that's all because you never knew about the fact that I Barney Stinson could cook. And, I tried very hard to not have anyone know this little unknown fact about myself that is no longer unknown." He looks at her smugly and she rolls her eyes but laughs at his smugness. It's classic Barney, but she wouldn't know him any other way.

"We, all agree this meal is really great thanks for doing this on short notice I knew I was putting too much pressure on you guys to do this but I'm glad you did because you really surprised me and all of us because you not only made this meal but you did all these decorations and only in four days." Tracy says, knowing that if you underestimate Barney he will do anything and everything to proof that they're wrong or that he CAN do it.

After, they ate they were all pretty stuffed and still impressed with how delicious the meal was. Then, they all sat around the living room waiting for Barney and Robin to start this game they talked about. It was a little silly to make this announcement as a game but they agreed to make it a game because it would be fun and to see what they would guess. Yes, it is a guessing/writing down answers on a piece of paper game to see who guesses the hints Barney and Robin will give them to start the game off with.

"Okay, so this is how the game goes. Robin and myself will give five clues to this announcement that will be announced by the end of the night. But, we have made this game a little twist. There are clues all around this apartment, this room, the bedroom, the guest room and the bathroom. Each room has 1 clue to the announcement/answer that we want to make tonight." Robin, hands out pieces of paper and pens to each of the adults who are playing the game.

Everyone, minus the kids were playing the game because everyone wanted to know what Barney and Robin wanted to announce and all were interested in the answer.

"Whomever, finds each hint needs to write down the answer to all the hints that are in each room." And, after this the game begins it would start off fun but end intensely with two people getting into a fight over what the guesses/hints are. Two, couples will argue over two wrong answers and Barney and Robin were sitting back and watching everyone go a little crazy around the apartment, shouting with answers and fighting, figuring out what Barney and Robin were telling them.

Marshall and Lily got really into the game, they were so excited to play the game that they were the first ones to get up to start looking for the clues. Tracy, was a bit more excited to know the answer to this game more so than Ted, James and Tom got into a fight over who was correct in their answers and Loretta and Sam argued over two of the clues one from the bathroom and one from the bedroom.

"I hope this doesn't get too out of hand." Barney said, as they were sitting on the couch letting the others all argue, fight and discuss all the small hints of what their announcement will be.

"I wouldn't hold my breath on that from the way they are shouting especially Marshall and Lily who you know are really into games, they aren't going to let up anytime soon. I mean, even Sam started to course and he's a minister, you know how everyone is when it comes to games. They are just beginning to get all ruddy and hyped up on the excitement of the game." Robin, adds knowing that this game idea wasn't going to be the best way to make this announcement but they do get a kick out of watching everyone fight and get excited about the clues and their answers.

"Well, so far Tracy is the first and only one to get most of the clues right. Everyone, else got them wrong so far and we have known the others longer than Tracy." She, also adds hearing in the moment someone (Lily) shouting out the final clue in the guest room.

"Well, I guess the game is almost over. Maybe, this won't end so badly." The next thing they hear is Marshall saying damnit really loudly from the bedroom.

"Or, maybe not." He laughs, knowing how crazy Marshall gets about games and how into the game he gets but at least it's nothing to much that causes this game to get too out of hand.

An, hour passes before they all have each clue and answer written on the pieces of paper they were handed earlier. By, 9pm on this evening everyone had concluded their answers and were all back in the living room. As, Barney and Robin took the pieces of paper where their guests all wrote their answers and the final answer to the hints they gave them, the rest of the guests all sat around quietly waiting for Barney and Robin to pick a winner or winners of the game and to officially make this big announcement that they were so keen on making a big game out of instead of just announcing it during dinner.

"Well, guys after we looked over the papers you gave us we now have a winner and an announcement to pick and make." Barney, says putting the final piece of paper into the hat that he and Robin used to place the papers in. On, the back of each paper each guest wrote his or her name on it separately. The couples, all played the game together but gave separate answers from each others because there will only be one winner of the game.

"But, first we will take all the pieces of paper from the hat and place it on the coffee table with each answer faced down with each of your names on them. Robin and I will chose the correct answer and that person will be the winner and the one who figured out what our announcement will be." The others all waited in anticipation waiting to find out the answer to this big announcement each other becoming more agitated about how long Barney and Robin were taking to make this announcement.

So, the couple took each piece of paper and picked out the ones with the almost correct answers and the correct answer. Robin takes the one with the correct answer and puts it in her pocket, Barney then takes all the other papers and puts them back in the hat. They turn to their guests with smiles to finally make the announcement they have all wanted to know for the last few hours.


	6. Game Over (Moving Forward)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game continues and then ends, the gang all find out the big new Barney and Robin want to share with their family and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This, chapter finishes up the original theme of this story. Now, that Thanksgiving is over I will be moving on to Christmas and New Years within a span of two weeks to get those chapters up before the end of the month/New Years Eve, so that the story can move forward with the other theme I wanted to explore with this story which is Family. This chapter shows the family side of this story, the start of that. Barney and Robin are mainly exploring the possibilities to have a family and that's what I wanted to show in this story. So, I hope you like the little twist although it's not really a twist since I hinted at this throughout the story so far. Next up, Christmas!
> 
> Also, this is a bit long since I wanted to get this all out in one chapter. Enjoy! Sorry for the darker/sadder theme but it was important to explore this issue.

The guesses on the pieces of paper read like this.

You're moving

You're going to have a baby

They're moving away and having a baby

One or both of them are changing careers

One or both of them are leaving their job for another job

They're going to adopt

Robin's pregnant

They're having problems in their marriage and are or were on the verge of divorce

These are all the answers that everyone had guessed and written down on each piece of paper Barney and Robin gave their guests. The clues around the apartment had hinted at baby things and to throw them off with the hints that were given, they hinted at problems within their marriage/relationship and for old times sake their careers/jobs. These are all the hints and guesses that were around the apartment and were guessed but the guests of Barney and Robin.

When the game was over and everyone had guessed what they hinted at around their apartment they all sat waiting in anticipation waiting to see what the hosts of this Thanksgiving party would reveal. The guesses that were guessed on the papers with the names written on them were all lined up in order from the best guesses to the worst guesses, automatically the worst guesses were eliminated right away, those papers included Ted, James, Patrice, Sam, Marshall and Robin Sr. (yes he was invited and actually showed up for his daughter, they had become more closer after Robin got married). And, then there was the better guesses, those papers had Lily, Loretta, Tracy, Tom, Cheryl (Jerry's wife), Jerry and Katie's (Robin's sister) names and answers on them. Katie, Cheryl and Tom's papers were next to be eliminated seeing that there was one or two wrong answers on their papers. That, left Lily, Loretta and Tracy's papers with their answers on them.

The three pieces of papers were all now facing up on the coffee table with the answers being revealed. Finally, Barney announced "these are the final three papers with guesses on them, there was only two people who had gotten the right answer so there was a tie. Robin, will you please do the honors of revealing the winners?" He says, Robin stands up from sitting down prior to this announcement in a chair next to the coffee table as she and Barney went through the papers. It was Barney who made the final picks after eliminating one more piece of paper.

She clears her throat and says "I want to thank you all for coming for this annual Thanksgiving feast. It was my and Barney's first time ever hosting and without anything bad that happened I'd say this Thanksgiving feast went off without any big problems minus my freaking out for the last few days of our hosting gig. Anyway, this party was wonderful albeit legendary." She looks over at her husband and smiles and he smiles back.

"So, this little game came to us when we decided that tonight would be a good night to announce this, with nothing bad going wrong that is. We, Barney and I have made a huge decision, one that will change my life and Barney's life forever. So, with that said the winners of this game is Loretta and Lily. Their final answers had been the correct answers to all the hints we placed around the apartment." Lily and Loretta's faces all lit up in happy/excited smiles and Lily shouted out "YES!" standing up then sitting back down on the couch.

"I knew it." Is the next thing Lily says. "You're having a baby. Robin's pregnant." Then, the sadness grew on Robin's face just when she said this causing the happy scene to become serious and sad.

She sits down next to Tracy on the couch and Barney sits on the arm of the couch next to her. He places an arm around her pulling her into him as she rests her head on his shoulder. This was supposed to be a happy announcement with no sadness attached to it but once Lily says that Robin is pregnant all happiness and glee had come to an end. This was more tougher than Robin suspected, this was something she had been struggling with for years, until she and Barney made this decision that is. Once, they made this decision to try surrogacy because they both wanted a biological child with their jeans they knew it would be sad that Robin couldn't carry to term a child, like her friends have. It only hit her with this dreaded sadness that she would never be able to carry a biological child. A child that would be a little bit of herself and maybe a lot of Barney, she always imaged a son dressed up in a suit looking just like his father. But, once Lily brought this up all the excitement she felt went away.

"Aw, Robin I'm so sorry I didn't mean to say that. I was just excited I won and guessed right." Lily says, Robin had started crying on Barney's shoulder, he tries rubbing her back soothingly trying to calm down her emotions but he knows how much this kills her to not be able to carry his child, his and her child to full term without any complications. They had went to three different specialists trying to see if there's anyway for Robin to get pregnant and not have any problems. But, all those doctors said that it was near impossible for her to carry a child to full term. Their only next option was to try surrogacy, which had worked because they had found the perfect person to get pregnant with their child. They wanted to have a biological child, not adopt or have someone else's egg that wasn't Robin's. So, they found someone to help them carry their child.

"No, it's not your fault. But, at least you guest right." Robin, says smiling and laughing lightly realizing it was stupid to put a damper on this party, her own party. It's just still a very emotional thing that she's still not completely over. But, she can't change what she can't have. She had accepted not being able to have a biological child that she would get to carry on her own and to full term. But, it's still a little tough to be reminded of her lack of ability to have a child like her best friend did.

Everyone, laughed and the party wasn't so sad after this.

"So, is it true. Are you guys really having a baby?" Tracy is the next to break the tension and silence between everyone in the room to ask if it was true if Barney and Robin are really having a baby.

They both shook their heads and smiled. They hadn't broken the hold or position they were in on the couch since they sat down on it explaining the winner of the game. But, it was good to finally get this to come out, it's been a secret for a month now and the surrogate has been pregnant now for two months. Barney and Robin wanted to wait to see how the pregnancy would go before they told anyone and this get together was the best time to officially tell the gang and their families that there's going to be another baby added to their little family.

"Oh, wow I can't believe it. But, I thought Robin couldn't have kids." Ted, was quiet this whole time watching the scene play out after Lily was announced the winner of the game. He was in shock that Robin was going to have a baby, but a baby with Barney he wasn't expecting such an announcement when he came to this party at all.

"I can't," she starts saying the tone of her voice light with a touch of sadness. She looks up at Barney sitting next to her sadly and he rubs her shoulder.

"She can't, but we had seen a few specialists to see if there was someway for Robin to get pregnant. Nobody, had any answers they all had the same one that she won't be able to carry a baby to full term there was likely that she would miscarry right away or even a couple months after conceiving so we finally gave up asking questions and started to really think. We, wanted to have a baby. A baby, that is part me and part Robin it was a hard complicated decision to make but we really wanted this to happen for us. It was likely that there wasn't a way for Robin to carry a child full term so we discussed this for about a year now and finally found another option." Barney, had finished with what Robin had started to explain before she became overwhelmed with emotion. He, wanted to tell everyone what has been happening during this year, it was so much struggle that they wanted to give up and they had fought over this decision. Finally, after they gave up asking doctors questions they finally came up with the idea of surrogacy. Robin, wouldn't be able to carry the baby not fully but she was still young enough that her eggs were still available to conceive. It was just her body would never get to experience having the feeling of having a live person, a little part of the both of them living inside her belly.

It was tough, but this was the only option for them because they didn't want to adopt. They wanted to have a child biologically which is why Robin is so emotional about this. She would never get to actually experience carrying Barney's baby, her and Barney's baby and it had been so devastating that she couldn't even find a good way to tell Barney that she can't get pregnant and if she did she wouldn't be for long.

"We, found a surrogate. We thought about this for a while thinking that there is no other way for us to have a kid together. So, we researched this for a half year this year and came up with a way to have a kid that is half Barney and half myself. We, found a wonderful person to carry our baby and we just found out last month that she is pregnant. In, the next year we will be having a baby." Everyone, but Robin's father stood up in excitement about this news. This, wonderful unexpected news that will change their little gang-family again. There will be another baby in their little gang.

"Wow, I am just so happy for you guys." James, says hugging first his brother than his sister in-law happily excited that he will be an uncle in a few months.

"Thanks, bro we're happy too." The next one to hug the couple was Loretta. Pulling her son in to a hug with a smile and a pat and rub on his back so happy to finally get that grandchild she's wanted from her other son. As, much as she loves her other grandchildren they aren't biologically hers. But, she loves them equally, it's just she's always wanted for Barney to have his own child because she knew he would make a great dad.

"Wuv, wuv I'm so happy that you're going to have a baby. I thought you were okay with not having one." She remembered the conversation they had during their wedding weekend in which he told her he didn't need children to be happy with Robin. But, that clearly changed in the last three years since the wedding.

"I was, but..." Okay, now's not the time to really talk about what has been happening with his relationship with Robin to his mother. It was late and they were all about to leave so he simply said. "We'll, talk about this tomorrow." He means it, they were going to go to Loretta and Sam's house the next day for a visit they had done that every year since Barney and Robin got married, it was a little family get together in which they went to Loretta and Sam's the following day after Thanksgiving.

Loretta was disappointed but expected that Barney didn't want to get in to this discussion right now.

Everyone, after this all gathered around the couple showing their love for them and their son or daughter to be. Then, people started to leave, leaving only Barney, Robin, Ted, Marshall, Tracy and Lily remaining as well as Robin's father who had been really quiet this entire time since they announced their sudden but wonderful news. He was deep in thought sitting in the corner by the kitchen by himself not showing any emotion or movement.

Robin, spotted her father sitting in the corner quiet and staring into space like there wasn't anything or anyone around him. She walks up to him, a light smile placed on her lips. She knows her father well enough to know that he isn't quite happy with this announcement. And, she instantly knew that something wasn't right with the way he was not paying attention to her or Barney or anyone at the party.

"Dad." Robin Sr. Looks up from staring off into the distance of the living room area at his daughter standing there next to him frowning.

"R.J." He said, not showing any sign of emotion and the tone in his voice was a bit mad?

"What's up? You're okay?" Robin, asks trying to get her dad to talk to her.

"No." He says, sharply his tone deep and maybe more saddened than mad?

"What's wrong?" Of course, she knew the answer already she just wanted to know for herself what's going on with her sulking father.

"You, know I've never expected such a show about having a child. You, are better than that RJ. I just don't get why you had to make such a spectacle over such news as a baby." He doesn't get it, he never has but Robin at this point in her life had given up on having his approval so she just says…

"I wanted this announcement to be fun, for everyone and clearly they were all happy for us. We, just wanted to tell everyone about this news together and tonight was the best time to do that. I, we both wanted to have a baby together but I can't have one. No, I can't carry one so we wanted the next option and we finally found one. Barney and I are very, very happy about this decision and news we're thrilled to be having a kid together it's what we both wanted for a while now." And, with that she walks away without any tears or getting too angry with him because really she has tried with him her whole life and she's done trying to get his approval of the way she lives her own life. She's done, if he wants to be the bigger person and apologize than she'll be more than happy if he did but knows that won't happen so she walks away without emotions back to her friends and her husband.

Barney, saw the whole scene play out watching on as Robin talked to her sulking father from afar. He, knew that things had been better between them since their wedding but apparently not since her father is sitting sulking in the corner over them sharing this news with their family and friends in their own way. Robin, sits down next to Barney on the couch he had slid down onto the couch once there was space to sit in. He, knew this was hard for Robin but knows she can handle herself and her father and doesn't need his approval on the way she handles her father. His, opinion does matter but right now he doesn't need to say what he thinks since she already handle this herself.

"I'm, sorry about him." He says, putting an arm around her back once she sat down next to him.

"Yeah, it's fine if he doesn't want to like our news or the way we announced it he doesn't have to. I'm done, with him he can sulk all he wants to." She tells him in soft tone, her voice a bit cracking over the last few words but it's true she is really done trying with her father when he doesn't want to try for her.

A, half an hour went by then Tracy and Ted had left along with Robin Sr. Who just left without saying anything to his daughter or Barney. Leaving, Marshall and Lily to help Barney and Robin clean up the mess they all left around the apartment.

"I still can't believe there's going to be another baby in this gang." Marshall says, he had wanted to win the game and thought he had the right answers to the questions but they were mostly wrong which made him a bit sad but overall he's happy about this news and excited that Barney and Robin are really having a baby after saying they don't want children since he met both of them. But, he's happy nonetheless.

"Yeah, I can't either. This is great news but why did you decide you wanted a baby, you both said you were okay with not having kids." Lily says, the two couples had taken a break from cleaning and are sitting down drinking some champagne talking about this news they had shared this evening.

"Yeah, we said that but then we really thought about it and realized that we actually do want kids. It was just too difficult to actually conceive one and carry it to term." Robin, looks away sadly. The only one who knew about this next thing she was going to say is Barney she never said this to anyone else until now. "Remember, when I told you that I couldn't get pregnant back when I was seeing Kevin?" Robin, doesn't change the tone in her voice when she says this it was all a bit hard to bring up again but needs to get this all out in the open now that they announced that they are going to have a baby.

Marshall and Lily nodded allowing her to continue with what she wanted to say.

"Well, what you don't know is that before that Barney and I had slept together." Marshall and Lily's expressions didn't change as she told them that she and Barney had slept together at that time which only means that she might have cheated on Kevin.

"I had, found out that I was pregnant soon after we slept together. Around, Thanksgiving and then around Christmas of that year I found out that I couldn't have a baby biologically." Marshall and Lily continue to stare at their friend, not believing this story she's telling them but still listening on to what Robin's telling them. "I, found out that I was pregnant but then soon miscarried." She had never told anyone about this but Barney, and that was after they were married it was still a hard thing to talk about with anyone even Barney, but she wanted to be honest with him so she told him about this miscarriage right after, about a month after they were married.

Her, friends expressions change to being sad looks Lily grabs Robin's hand as Robin continues telling this little tail about the most painful time in her life.

"Oh, sweetie I'm so sorry." Lily tells her, rubbing her thumb over her friends fingers.

"Well, that time was so painful that I tried to wipe it out of my mind and pretend it never happened. I was never weak enough to sleep with Barney, I was never pregnant and I never miscarried. I was in such a pain that I kept this all a secret from Barney until after we were married. It was the only big issue that was hanging over our relationship. When, I told him about this miscarriage experience he just held me and said he was sorry and that he didn't want to have a baby at that time anyway. He cheered me up and then we talked, it was a very deep in depth conversation which led to us talking about kids. It wasn't at that time when we figured out that we wanted kids but sometime after that the idea of starting a family had become a constant thing hanging over our relationship that was a little bit rocky for a few months only last year." Robin, explained telling her friends about another painful time for her.

She had wanted desperately to have Barney's child, she knew she couldn't carry a baby full term so the only option was to do surrogacy. They discussed it, a lot over an entire year to find a way to turn their rocky marriage around. So, by the end of last year around Christmas time, they were celebrating their engagement anniversary, after putting this off for a few months they talked about it again and came to decide that they wanted to try the surrogacy thing. So, for five months this year they did research on surrogacy and looked for the right person to carry their child. With, her eggs still being good enough to make a baby, they finally found the right person to carry their baby. With, her eggs and his sperm which he had frozen for this particular reason.

"We, found a surrogate in September but it wasn't until recently in which she was inseminated. We, found out last month that it took and she's pregnant. We, wanted to wait until it was a good time to tell you guys, until the surrogate and the baby was healthy and forming." Barney, said. The two couples staring at each other in shock but surprisingly Marshall and Lily were still happy about this.

"So, you really are having a baby. I still can't believe it but this is amazing." Lily, says hugging Robin smiling happily that her best friend is going to have a child of her own and she didn't even think she wanted to have a kid.

"Thanks, Lily." Robin, smiles hugging her back then they broke the hug as the two both tear up at this news.

Barney and Marshall hugged as well and then Lily hugs Barney and Marshall hugs Robin after this. The couples finally after a long night say their goodnights and goodbyes then Marshall and Lily left.

"Well, I guess that the news could have been worse with their reactions." Barney said, turning to his wife and pulling her into him hugging her.

"I guess it could be." She responded back, breaking the hug and smiling at her husband.

"Your father doesn't know what he's missing." She didn't respond to that but she didn't have to, he said it as a joke and she took it lightly as a joke nothing harmful of this statement.

They, finish up cleaning after this then go to bed. It was really late, almost 1 in the morning when Marshall and Lily finally left leaving them alone for the first time this evening.


	7. The Worst Times Of Ours Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney and Robin go to The Stinson's Annual Day After Thanksgiving get-together at Loretta and Sam's house. They reveal what has been happening in their lives and relationship the previous year that ended changing their lives forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wanted for this chapter to be more happier but realized that the tone of it was more sadder than it should be. This news that Barney and Robin shared with their family and friends should be more happier but I really wanted to get into the more deeper reason behind B/R's decision to have a baby. As, much as I hate the finale I wanted to include some of that without completely taking away from the more happier and joyful theme of this story. But, just to let you know Barney and Robin are very happy together, there might be some downs in their relationship but they will always with the more ups of their relationship. So, I included their fighting and almost divorcing because I wanted to dive into the more real reasons why Robin continued to be against kids.
> 
> This continues from where it left off into the next day as was mentioned in the story Barney and Robin always go to Loretta's every year the day after Thanksgiving as a family Stinson get together so I wanted to get more deeper into B/R's lives after they got married and the two years after that. I hope you'll enjoy this, next chapter will be all about Christmas and much more happier, upbeat and joyful chapter. Sorry, for the dramatic/sad chapter but I swear this is the only chapter that will be sad and dramatic. This story is mostly happy and lighthearted, but enjoy the story.

The day after Thanksgiving, Barney and Robin went to Loretta's house for the Stinson Day After Thanksgiving get-together as they do every year. In the last three years, they included Robin and Sam into their little family get together. Robin, had quickly became officially a Stinson family member after she married Barney, that first year of marriage was her first time joining this get together and she has been part of the family since she and Barney got engaged. Then, Loretta had a reunion with Sam, James' father at their wedding, well technically it was before their wedding it was just that they were keeping their reunion a secret from Barney because they just started to see each other a month before the wedding and didn't want the reunion to be ruined. It was a new, fresh start of a relationship they had just begun dating and didn't know where the relationship was heading to even at the ages they both were, it was likely that the relationship might not work out. After all, their first relationship didn't go so well and then there was a small little issue that happened that kept a distance between Loretta and Sam for decades. The simple fact that Loretta was pregnant and he has a son that she kept from him for all them years.

However, when Loretta and Sam had started to see each other again after many years they talked about that small issue and many other issues. But, after that they just seemed to be attached at the hip as they started to date again after many years of being apart, secrets being kept and some growing up to do they reunited and realized that there were some feelings still there between the both of them. So, now Loretta and Sam are happily engaged, and preparing to marry in the New Year.

After, Barney and Robin's huge announcement the day before they had one last thing to do before they moved forward with their baby and lives in the new year. That thing is the fact that they had been having some problems within their relationship, the year before and had to figure somethings out first before they moved ahead with their plans to have a baby. The marriage was having some problems, at one point it had been so bad that they almost decided to end it all. But, after sometime apart and some thinking they realized that the real issue they had was not Robin's job but it was something else entirely.

So, Barney and Robin go to Loretta and Sam's house for this get together with his family. They had not told anyone about the problems in their marriage and relationship, the struggles they had and ignored had come to a head when Robin suggested divorcing, but Barney had no plans to divorce the woman he loves, more than anything in the world so they decided to separate for a while. Robin went off traveling, she had been asked to take this open corespondent position for sometimes but put it off because she didn't want to leave New York, her home, it had become some place where she found herself settled since she arrived years earlier. And, of course there was Barney and their marriage which she didn't want to be apart from. So, when the problems in their marriage happened she had suddenly took this job opening and started to travel a bit. But, the distance away from her home and Barney had her homesick for a few months, then she had a break, went back home and finally had the conversation they had been dodging for years and in recent months as well.

The conversation, was about Robin's stance on children. She realized that the reason the problems had started in their relationship in the first place was because they had fought or disagreed over starting a family. Robin, knew that she had kept a big secret from Barney before they were married but had talked about this secret after they were married. However, there was a bigger issue within this secret in which she had kept to herself, nobody knew the deep internal struggle she's been having with herself since she found out that she was unable to carry a child after she had the initial miscarriage. That's why, when Barney started to think about kids, not that he had changed his mind about being fulfilled and happy with just being with Robin. But, he had thought about having kids and now that they are happy, together, married and secure within their relationship he thought it was time to rethink about having kids.

When, Barney told Robin that he wanted kids it really threw her for a loop. She had questioned who she was married to, she knew that he didn't want kids and knew her stance on that very thing but when they were apart he had thought about kids more, he felt kind of left out seeing his friends and brother with kids of their own that he felt left out of that life altering event and when he started to bring this up to Robin, she kind of knew that he wanted kids before he even mentioned it. She thought that he was fine with not having kids, when they got married they talked about this and he told her he doesn't need kids to be happy with her and that he was fine not having any. And, that brought up things that Robin didn't want to talk about or even think about and then she started traveling and found herself thinking more and more about this. Realizing, that maybe some part of her really does want to start a family with Barney. So, when she returned home she had made her decision. As, she thought and thought hard about this she realized that she was running away from one of her biggest issues in her life.

Her, stance on having kids. Her and Barney discussed it and realized that both do actually want kids. When, he brought up her infertility that really hurt her enough to have her run off around the world to get away from thoughts about having kids and the fact that Barney really wants to start a family with her. When, she finally came to her decision to talk to Barney about why she's been struggling in recent years with her inability to conceive and carry a child. He knew about half of the story of her infertility but not why she kept her stance on having kids.

The miscarriage, it hit her really hard. That loss, was painful for Robin to even really think about babies in general. And, when Lily had Marvin all those emotions she held back and inside her since she had found out about her infertility came out and all she really needed was to tell Barney, he was the only one who she wanted to talk to but they weren't together, she had broken his heart just months prior and he was with Quinn which was another problem and part of the reason she didn't tell Barney about her infertility until months after that. In fact, it was almost a year when she finally told Barney about her inability to have biological children.

It was all a painful two years for Robin but now. After, all this time she and Barney are happy, together and are expecting a baby in 8 months time. After battling this inner demon for years, she is finally going to have a biological child, that is part Barney and part herself. She is the happiest she's ever been in her life, her marriage is back on the right path, being with Barney hadn't changed her opinion on wanting to have a life with him, they just threw a great and fun Thanksgiving for the first time since they got married and soon, in the next year she would be getting a baby, something she never really wanted or thought about having in all her adult life. But, she and Barney are going to be parents in the next year and she's over the moon about it. She, Robin Scherbatsky is going to be a mother who would have thought that would happen, ever certainly not her.

"Hi, mom, Sam." Barney and Robin had just arrived at Sam and Loretta's house. Loretta, had recently, well not so recently more like six months ago had officially moved into Sam's house in Long Island. Sam, had been living there most of his life, since he became a minister in the early 90s. Now, it's his and Loretta's home, after they got engaged Loretta had moved in. They dated for two years before they got engaged, and both are happy and grateful that they had reunited and decided to date.

"Hi, wuv wuv glad you can make it." Loretta says, pulling her son in for a hug.

"I would never miss this, and you know that." Barney, teased and hugged his mother back then turns to Sam and gives him a hug as well.

"So, I can't believe you're having a baby. How and when and why did you decide this." It was early in the afternoon when Barney and Robin got to Loretta and Sam's house, it was early enough to sit down and talk before they have dinner. Loretta, still remembered wanting to ask her son and Robin about what was going on in their marriage and why they decided to have a baby yesterday at Thanksgiving. She, hadn't forgotten to talk to her son about this very big important event happening in his life and wanted to know what changed in three years after he said he was fine with not having kids with Robin because he was happy just being with her.

"Well, we were having some marital problems. We were fighting a lot, last year was a very painful time in our lives. I had been thinking about kids in general, for sometime because I felt a little out of place because of all the kids around me, with my friends all having kids and James having kids. I had thought about this for a long time but put it out of my mind because of Robin." He looks at Robin, sadly remembering the time last year when they came pretty close to ending their marriage. They, both hated remembering that hard time they went through just like that other time five years earlier in which Robin discovered that she's infertile and Barney was heartbroken over Robin's decision to stay with Kevin even though she told him she loved him and not Kevin at that time.

"What, kind of problems?" Loretta is curious to know what has been going on with her son and her daughter in law's marriage because she had know idea what they had been going through.

"It's not a big deal now, we're over those issues and struggles but all you need to know is that. That was the time when we talked about having kids, and decided to try and find a way around Robin's infertility. We, tried three different specialists, three different doctors but all of them told us that there is really no way around her infertility. They all said the same thing, that she can still conceive normally but won't be able to carry the baby full term, even half term which would be 6 months into the pregnancy. It's impossible for her to stay pregnant without miscarrying, she won't be able to carry into the later months of pregnancy so the next best thing was to try surrogacy. So, we found a surrogate to carry the baby, the surrogate is now two months along but it was a real struggle for us along the way to trying surrogacy." Barney, explains. Him, Sam, Loretta and Robin were all sitting around in the living room talking about the problems that Barney and Robin have had in their marriage and the decision to have a baby through in vetro fertilization and the fact that the surrogate is now two months along in the pregnancy.

"Wow, I'm just shocked but really happy for you Barney. I've known you wanted to have children for sometime, I'm so thrilled that you finally are have one after you said you didn't want any children because of Robin." Loretta, was more than happy to hear that she will soon be a grandma but also knows that Robin was always against the idea of children and that's why Barney put the idea out of his mind.

"Yeah, well I loved Robin more than the idea of children because she makes me happy and I had never stopped loving her. But, then she told me about a miscarriage that she had a few years ago. You, don't know this but we had a night together, she found out about a week later that she was late, then we went to see the doctor, she told us that she was not pregnant but then a few weeks after that she found out that she miscarried only after a day of being pregnant, then was told she was likely to never get pregnant and if she did she would have lost the baby within a week or even months. It was likely that she would lose the baby before the first trimaster was finished." Robin, was listening on, listening to Barney talk about the darkest most painful time in her life and as he went on talking to his mother she had started to cry quietly as she sat next to him.

"I am so sorry, dear." Loretta was looking at Robin, she was crying more stronger now but through tears she shrugs and says "that's okay, I'm okay, we're okay but it was a very painful time for me. I was pregnant, with Barney's child and all I wanted after I found out about the miscarriage is that family, with him. A son and a daughter, in our apartment it was all I could think about for a whole year after that before we got engaged. I told Barney, about my infertility before we got engaged but after, there was something else I had kept from him and didn't tell him until after we were married. We promised each other to be honest with each other and that was the only small but also big thing hanging over our happiness." Robin, had brushed off her tears with a tissue trying to keep her emotions in tact as she explains to her mother in law about the time she imagined having a family with her now husband.

Meanwhile, Barney was sitting next to her listening to what Robin was saying and knowing about everything she has been telling his mother about that she and they haven't told anyone until now. Barney, realized that they both always wanted that family, that picture forming in their minds for sometime but until last year they really didn't realize how much we both wanted to be a family and that's why Robin was struggling with the whole kid issue all these years. It really hadn't crossed her mind until she had that miscarriage and was told about her infertility.

"Anyways, I thought long and hard about this and struggled with my infertility for along time since knowing about it but we really did want to have a baby but I couldn't carry it so we talked about it and researched over it for a few months then we found this surrogate. Sarah, she's 25, a premed student who needs the money for student loans and another year of school. She was the right person to be our surrogate, she was inseminated in September shortly after we picked her to be our surrogate and she was open and ready to help us have something we've always wanted but really couldn't have without her help." Barney, finishes up with what he and Robin were trying to explain to Sam and Loretta about their decision to have a baby telling them about the painful times in their relationship and the struggle or stubbornness they had within themselves about this one thing that both tried to ignore because they were in love and wanted to be together.

"Well, I am so happy for the both of you. Congratulations, I'm going to be a grandma." Loretta says, thrilled of the idea to be a grandma again after being kind of sad and disappointed that Barney would never give her a grandchild.

Barney and Robin hugged Loretta and then Sam both him and Loretta are extremely happy about this news. A little shocked still but overall they're happy for Barney and Robin.

After this, James came with his family and they all sat down to dinner. After, all the emotions that had spilled out over the last hour was all put on hold so they all can eat and relax as a family. Robin, had really been a bigger part of the Stinson family in these three years and they welcomed her into the family during their wedding and she embraced being in this family and being part of something special once she married Barney.

After, they all ate Barney and James stepped aside to have a brother chat because they really don't talk as much as they did in the past and it's only been 24 hours since he's known about his brother's big news and it was time to finally have the talk they hadn't had in years.

"So, you are really having a baby huh?" James, says it's the first thing he wanted to say and it's been on his mind since he found out that his brother and wife are having a baby.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry, I kept this secret from you we wanted to wait for the right time to announce this important thing in our lives." Barney, wanted to tell a lot of people about this but him and Robin wanted to keep this very important event in their lives a secret to be sure that they wanted to do this and have a surrogate and to also make sure everything goes well with the insemination and early month of pregnancy. He does regret not saying anything to anyone sooner but it wasn't the right time.

"Well, I'm happy for you and Robin I know how much you had struggled with this kid situation. I've seen you with my kids and I could tell you really were thinking about having kids of your own. I've also known that you've loved Robin for a very long time and that had put any idea of kids off your mind." Barney, looks at his brother with this look, a look that says everything James just said is absolutely true.

"Yeah, well I did stop thinking about kids overall but I had never stopped thinking about Robin." As, he says this he's looking over at Robin who is talking to Loretta having a conversation.

"You really are something, bro I would have never thought that I would see my brother so in love, happy and having a baby. This is what I call a miracle, and hey it's almost Christmas. I can't believe you're going to be a father." James, is more than happy to be an uncle but also knows how much struggle his brother went through with this kids vs. Robin issue it has always been Robin from what James could see. Barney, really loves Robin and that's why he put off the idea of kids. It was always heart/Robin and not mind/kids and James could see now that it really was more than not having kids. It was the fact that Robin was struggling with her infertility and Barney being okay with not having kids. He was putting Robin before anything else and now he sees how deep Barney loves Robin and Robin loves him.

It, had been a bigger struggle than Barney originally thought. Robin's stance on kids wasn't because she didn't want them it was because she couldn't have them. They, both battled this inner demon and it ended when they decided to hold their marriage together and have a baby. The baby, they had always wanted but couldn't have because of Robin's infertility.

"Hey." It was the end of the night, Barney and Robin were about to leave to go home. It was a nice family get together with some emotion and some revealing things that neither wanted to tell anyone or have out in the open but now that everyone they know knows about their relationship problems and their decision to have a baby it was good to finally feel a little relief over all the things they kept from the people they care most about.

"Hey. I know this day was a little emotional but at least everyone now knows about us having a baby." Robin, says feeling like she's all cried out for this day and possibly the last two days.

"Yeah, I am glad we finally told everyone I can rest easily now that my mom knows. I knew I should have told her a while ago but at least she knows now and is happy by this news. She's thrilled about being a grandmother." Barney, had helped put on Robin's coat as they get ready to leave his mother's house to go home.

He, also knew that she wanted him to have children of his own but never did because of Robin and that put off any idea of children after he fell in love with her. Of, course Barney would never tell Robin that he did want kids during the time they had that almost pregnancy scare which is something he wanted to keep to himself because he knew that that time was really painful for Robin and himself.

"I love you." He tells her, kissing her quickly before pulling away after he put her coat on for her.

"I love you, too. I'm glad we made this decision, I think we're going to be a one legendary family." Robin, says smiling after they kissed knowing now that all the struggles, concerns and running they did they have each other no matter what and they love each other more than anything.


	8. The Reason Behind Our Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney & Robin and Ted and Tracy get together for a pre-Christmas get together. The two couples talk and catch up on the things going on in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm so sorry about this chapter I wanted to do a pre-Christmas kind of chapter before I do the big Christmas chapter so I am sorry if this is a little boring but I wanted to do this so I can get to the bigger stuff I have planned for the next chapters. Next up: Christmas, New Years and then a break followed by 1 chapter with the gang all together and then Valentine's Day which will be big for B/R. So, I have two more chapters for 2016 then comes the new year and the more interesting and fun stuff to come.
> 
> I, wanted to explore the relationship between B/R and T/T so that's what I tried to do in this chapter sorry if this is a little boring and predictable but I just wanted a random chapter before the more interesting stuff comes. Next, chapter will be up on Sunday and then the following one will be up on the following Sunday so New Years Day and Christmas Day will be huge for BR so enjoy the next chapters I won't be writing to much for the A/N but I just wanted to explain what I'm going to do with this story.

It, was time. Time to get together with the gang, it's been sometime since they last saw each other which was Thanksgiving. The six of them hadn't talked longer than a few minutes the last time they were all together. But, this time they weren't around a lot of people they were going to gathered together at Ted and Tracy's house, it was almost Christmas. In a few days, so the gang wanted to get together before Christmas to exchange gifts and have sometime together before they all spend time separately for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. After, Barney and Robin's Thanksgiving surprise everyone was really happy about the news that they were going to have a baby. But, the news was so sudden that they didn't really get much information other than they had made this huge decision to have a baby.

So, the gang all goes to the Mosby's house on the Thursday before the Christmas weekend. They had been apart before the Thanksgiving get together last month, before then they only saw each other a very limited time, they were all busy and well Barney and Robin were having problems in their own marriage which nobody knew about to recently when they told his mom during their visit over the last weekend. So, the fact that they were having marital problems, problems that obviously ended with them deciding to have the baby that they desperately wanted. Everyone, was really curious and interested in wanting to know what has been going on with their friends and why they decided to have this baby when both were okay with not having kids.

"Hi." They say in unison as Barney and Robin stand outside the Mosby home waiting for someone to open the door. It, was cold out and they were freezing as they stood outside the door but when Tracy opens the door they pushed passed her to get inside because of how cold it was outside.

It, was 3pm and Barney and Robin were the first to arrive at the Mosby's house but it was really cold and they wanted to go inside to get warm.

"Sorry, about that we were just really freezing outside so we wanted to come inside. We, didn't mean to be rude and push you aside like that." Barney apologizes for their rude intrusion but Tracy didn't mind she could tell it was freezing outside.

"Barney, was cold I wasn't really that cold." Robin, says. Her Canadianness was still very present in their lives but Barney knows she is lying because she was just as cold as she shivered next to him waiting for the door to open.

"Don't, worry about it it is very cold out today. And, also snowy. Sorry, for picking this day it kind of sucks that we are having this on a day like this." Tracy, was really nice and understanding even in snow Barney and Robin made it up to White Planes from the city with no problem so at least they did come without canceling.

"Oh, please you were so cold just like I was." Barney, teased back sticking out his tongue at Robin who just laughed and walked away into the living room where Ted was sitting with Penny on the couch.

"Hey, Ted. How's it going?" Robin, says as she sits opposite where Ted is sitting watching him with his daughter in his arms.

"Great. How are you? Last time we were all together you made such a big announcement I was not expecting that at all when we were told that we were playing that game." Ted, says taking Penny and putting her in her playpen, then sat back down on the couch as Barney now came into the living room as well smiling brightly after he was talking to Tracy for a bit in the kitchen.

"Hey, bro how's everything?" Barney, says taking a seat next to Robin after he high fives Ted.

"Great, I was just talking to Robin about your big announcement on Thanksgiving. I'm still in a bit of shock about this, it seemed so sudden that you made this huge decision. I mean, you're really having a baby it really is really huge news, I never expected this to ever happen." Ted, says as he hands Barney a beer and opens his own in his hand.

"Well, we didn't either but it did and it is happening. But, since we want to tell everyone when we are all together, we want to wait until Marshall and Lily are here to talk more about this." They, notice that Ted is looking at them all weird and they both notice the look at the same time.

"Um, is Marshall and Lily coming?" Robin asks, noticing that when they mentioned Marshall and Lily, Ted had made a face like he knew something they didn't.

"No, unfortunately they aren't. The storm was a bit much for them to come all the way out here from Long Island. It would be a hassle to make the trip, so they called before and told us they won't be coming today." Barney and Robin look saddened as they are told this, they look at each other feeling like maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just talk to Ted and Tracy about this, even with Marshall and Lily not coming. They, think it's okay to tell them and then talk to Marshall and Lily when they see them again. But, both know they might not see them until the next year.

"Maybe, we should just tell them we've waited for a whole year to tell our friends. I think it's a good time as any to let them know more of our little decision we've made?" They, were having one of their soulmate/telepathic conversations as Ted was telling them about Marshall and Lily not coming.

"Alright, let's tell them we will tell Marshall and Lily another time." Robin, says as they finish their conversation giving Ted their full attention.

"Okay, well let's first get Tracy in here we want to talk to her too." Barney, says then Ted calls Tracy into the living room and she joins them soon after, Tracy was in the kitchen still putting the finishing touches on the dinner they were going to have this evening. She, stopped everything she was doing when Ted called her.

"What's up?" She says, as soon as she steps in the living room. Sitting down next to Ted on the couch and smiling nicely at her friends.

"Well, we wanted to talk to you both. You, know about our decision to have a baby?" Barney, starts and Tracy nods smiling at the memory of her finding out their huge news during the Thanksgiving party they through.

"Well, since Marshall and Lily are not here we will tell them another time. But, for now we wanted to share this with you guys." Barney, says looking to Robin so she can tell this next part.

"So, we announced that we are expecting a baby via surrogate the last time we were together. We, hadn't really told much of the story on how we made this decision but we think it's time for you guys to know this. It's a big, serious issue that had us make this decision." Robin, tries to hold any emotion she was feeling inside so she can continue with what she was telling her friends.

Ted and Tracy listen on to what they are telling them, not butting into what they want to tell them. Because, they were both curious to know why they made such a decision to have a baby. It, was such a life changing thing and they both had their questions about all this it's so sudden and odd for them to make such a huge life change after years of not wanting kids.

"Last, year we were having some problems. Problems within our marriage, it was things that I was holding deep within myself for along time. Barney, had brought up the subject of kids around the time I just took the correspondent job, it was so sudden that it threw me a little. I freaked out and threw myself into this new job, because when the subject of kids was brought up I had this secret that I kept from him for along time. You, know about my infertility." Ted, nods and Tracy does too because she had found out about Robin's infertility after she officially joined the gang and became friends with Robin. So, she knows about this too and the deep internal struggle of kids in general.

"Well, I freaked out, we got into a fight and I ran off on my first assignment. But, once I went on the assignment I felt bad and regretted leaving the way I did. When, that assignment ended I went back home and we talked about why I left so suddenly without even telling Barney that I was going on that assignment. So, when I got back I had made a decision that I had kept from him and everyone I knew for the longest time. It, was time for me to tell Barney about my deepest and darkest secret." The, people she wants to tell this to are the people she's closest to so telling her friends and her mother in law and brother in law was good since she had to tell this story because it goes along with them deciding to have a baby.

"My, deepest and darkest secret that I was holding inside was that I was told when I found out about my infertility I had found out that I had miscarried." Ted, had known that Robin and Barney had slept together around that time but didn't know about this miscarriage or her infertility but knew about her infertility soon after that time.

"Oh, Robin I'm so sorry." Tracy, says sadly feeling bad for Robin is one thing but knowing that she was in this pain for along time really is sad.

"It's okay, but when I told Barney about this he was the first person who found this out. After, though he just held me and said that bringing up the subject of children was the wrong thing to do but then I told him that the real reason why I didn't want children was because I couldn't have them. He, said it didn't matter because he loves me no matter what, with or without kids he still loves me. But, then I told him another secret, one that came along with my infertility. I told him that I want to have kids with him, we talked about it more over the next few weeks after that and realized we both wanted to have a baby. But, the thing was..." she looks down sadly as the tears she was trying to hold inside start to pour out of her eyes.

"I couldn't have them. Not, only that but I couldn't carry one. I could probably get pregnant, conceiving was the more easier part of this. But, it was likely that I would miscarry soon into a pregnancy. So, we tried seeing specialist and they all said the same thing. That, I can conceive but not be able to carry the baby, we were going to give up any possibility to have a biological child. But, then we started to do some research, on surrogacy. Turns out, my eggs were still good enough to conceive a child. So, with my eggs and Barney's sperm we found a surrogate to carry our child. She, has been pregnant now for two months. We were just waiting to see if everything goes good with the first month of pregnancy before we told anyone. That's, why we wanted to tell you guys at our Thanksgiving bash. It, was the right time to tell everyone, so yes now there is going to be a baby. Another, baby in this little group and we're really happy about this decision." Robin, wipes her teary eyes as she tries to smile through her blurred vision.

Ted, and Tracy couldn't believe it but it is true. Barney and Robin are having a baby, a baby they clearly both wanted for along time but Robin couldn't have. It's, a sad story that Robin can't carry a baby, but they are really happy for them they really never expected for this to ever happen.

"Wow, I am just… it's huge news but I'm really happy for you guys." Ted, says letting all this new knowledge that he just learned sink into his mind.

He, can't believe it. Robin, and Barney are having a baby. Two, people who he never thought would ever want commitment married each other, and they also didn't want kids either but yet there is going to be one and they both do really want this.

"Thanks, Ted we are both truly happy about this. It was a really hard decision for us to make with a lot of struggles but we finally are going to have a baby after years of knowing we couldn't have one, one that is part of both of us." Robin's tears had subsided and she was seeing more clearer now as she talked to Ted.

She, really does want this. Ted thought, it's true she's going to be a mom and he's a little bit weirded out by this. Sure, he IS over her, he has Tracy now and loves her. But, there was still a little part of him that hoped she wanted kids, but kids with him. But, he loves Tracy and his daughter and wouldn't change that for anything. Robin, has Barney and Ted can see now how happy she truly is with being with him, not only that but being married to him (his former commitment phobic friend) and they really are going to have a baby together and they want this after years of saying they didn't.

An hour later they are sitting down to the dinner that Tracy made for this day. They, talked about everything that didn't include babies or births or anything related to Barney and Robin's decision to have a baby.

They, hadn't seen each other in a while so it was nice for the two couples to just sit, relax and talk after a lot of things that happened this past year and last year. Thanksgiving, was a little bit hectic and busy with everyone in one space, but since it's just the two couples with no kids. They, could talk about anything without it getting too heavy or personal. And, that's what they did during dinner.

It, was nice to just talk and get caught up on the lives of each others lives. Now, that Barney and Robin told Ted and Tracy about their plans for baby, they could literally talk about anything else and by the end of dinner they were all caught up on the things both couples didn't know about in the other couple's lives.

"I guess, it's been so long since we really talked, huh?" Ted, says after they finished eating their meals.

It was a great meal that Tracy made, she really is a great cook and made a whole feast for just four people. But, the food was delicious and everyone loved it and ate everything they were eating.

"Yeah, it has been. I'm glad we can all catch up. Even, without Marshall and Lily here it was nice to catch up and see how you guys are doing. It's been a while since we all sat down and talked, we've all been really busy since our wedding." Robin, says taking a sip of her water then putting it back on the table in front of her.

"So, I am still thinking about how unexpected it is that you two are going to have a baby. I never expected something like this to ever happen for you." Ted, says this as he looks at Robin first then to Barney but then again to Robin wanting her to answer to what he was saying.

"Yeah, well we just really wanted to have a baby. The odds of carrying a baby for me full term was slim to none, even if I could get pregnant, it wouldn't be for long. So, when we made this decision we decided to go with surrogacy because it would be less stressful on my body. This, decision wasn't easy to make but it was something we both wanted for along time we just didn't know we wanted it." Robin, made this decision because the thought of having a baby with Barney was something that was always on her mind, but because she couldn't have one and the odds were mostly against it ever happening for her and them. They, decided to do this other option and it worked out really well for them and both are really excited and happy about this. Having, a baby is a huge decision but both Barney and Robin really thought and discussed about this and they knew it was time, it was the right decision.

Robin, looks over at Barney and smiles lightly at him. They, really did want this and it was something that they both struggled over and thought about for a whole year until they decided to do surrogacy and find the right person to carry their baby. Ted, could tell that they really want this, that they both went through some stuff to get to this decision and it really threw him a little that Robin really wants this baby, Barney's the one who wanted a baby for along time but because of Robin he put that out of his mind. But, then they started to have problems, he started to think about kids, just in the general terms, she ran off to London, but then came back and told him that she wants to have a baby with him. Soon, there after they decided to do this and found the right surrogate to carry their baby. It, was the right decision and as painful as it is for Robin to not be able to carry a child, her and Barney's child inside her, herself. This was the right thing to do for the both of them and both want it more than anything right now.

"Well, I am really happy for you both. You, both deserve to have a kid and I can tell you both really want this. So, congratulations I'm really happy for you and can't wait to see this kid. He, or she will definitely be some kind of a miracle." He's really happy for them, truly for the first time in his life Ted now realizes that Robin had to be ready, she had to come to terms with a lot of things and needed to find the right time and guy to have a baby with. That, guy for her is obviously Barney and she and they are both really happy together and happy about this news. They, really are going to be parents it really is a miracle.

After, dessert the two couples continued to talk until it was time for Barney and Robin to leave. It was a long journey to this decision but it was the best decision that they ever made. Of course, this decision was made because they both wanted to have a baby, but they were really happy about making this decision. Ted, and Tracy are really happy for them, it was a shock to them that they are going to have a baby but they are both genuinely happy for them and could see they are both happy and sincere about doing this. They, can't go back anyway, they can't change their minds on this because their surrogate is already pregnant and in the next week they will find out out how the baby is doing when they have the first ultrasound. Of course, their surrogate Sarah had already had an ultrasound last month but this is the first time Barney and Robin were going to see their baby.

"So, I guess we should be going it was great getting together it really has been a while since we were all together. Wish, that Marshall and Lily would have made it but I get that the storm was too much to come all the way from Long Island in the snow." Barney and Robin are standing by the front door to the Mosby home saying their goodbyes to their friends ready to head home for the evening. They, need to catch the train back and it's getting a bit late so it was time to leave.

"It, was. It was so nice to see you guys today despite the snow and cold weather. We, both want to give our congratulations, we are both thrilled that another baby is joining our little group." Tracy, says smiling really glad to see her friends happy and having a baby, it's so wonderful, such a joy to know that they are really going to have a baby.

"Thank you, we are thrilled too. We're really happy about this, we can't wait to be parents." Robin, says also smiling at the thought of becoming a mom, she never thought she would get to be a mother but this is really happening for them and she's really happy and excited. In fact, it's the happiest she's ever been in her life and getting to be a mom is something she never thought would happen for her, and being with Barney makes her complete. Her, happiness is just beginning and she's only three years into marriage.

Barney and Robin say their goodbyes and leave to go catch the next train back to the city. It, was 10pm but with this weather being so crazy they wanted to leave at a good time to go back home. On, Monday they would be seeing their baby for the first time and they are happy but a little nervous about it. They, never thought they would get to have a baby, neither really wanted one until recently. But, if it wasn't for the subject being brought up, in between all the problems they were having in their marriage. It was really because of all of that that they made this decision and they are both happy about it.


	9. The Annual Breakfast Tradition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over, their annual morning breakfast Barney and Robin talk about the reason behind their decision to have a baby and then they exchange the Christmas presents they got for each other.

Sometimes, he doesn't believe it and other times he does. Three years into marriage and he's still as happy now as the day he married her. In, those three years there has been some ups and some downs, some fights and some making up (sex) usually, always. Particularly, last year in which they decided to take the leap and have the baby they didn't know they wanted or could have. Barney, doesn't know how lucky he got, he's married to the woman of his dreams and they are going to become parents. As, unexpected as it is, he's completely and totally happy and feels like his life is complete.

It, is Christmas Eve and each Christmas Eve they sit in bed and have breakfast together. But, this year is a little different. Barney, had woke up early this morning to prepare and then make breakfast for Robin and himself. But, this breakfast is mostly for Robin because after everything they had gone through together, in the past and present she deserves to have sometime without worrying about anything and to enjoy this Christmas. After all, they are going to have a baby and the next Christmas will be spent waking up early in the mornings or waking up during the night. Next, year will be completely different and their usual casual mornings will be filled with diapers, feedings and crying all day. So, this is the last Christmas they get to have with just the two of them before they have the baby next year. Barney, wanted to make this Christmas and breakfast a special one for Robin. After, they spent four days preparing for Thanksgiving he wanted to make Christmas less hectic and crazy.

It, is just the two of them this weekend. With, no work, no phone calls (their phones are turned off Barney made sure of that when he woke up this morning), no computers and no family drama. They, had enough drama last year to last another few years. Or, maybe in 7 months when the baby is waking them up in the middle of the night and they argue over who changes himorher or feeds himorher. So, this Christmas is going to be a quiet, relaxed one for the both of them and Barney hopes that today and the next day will be the same… quiet and relaxed.

It, was early this morning when he started to make the breakfast for Robin. She, was still asleep passed out from the night before when they went out to celebrate a late engagement anniversary. They, didn't get to celebrate this anniversary this month as they do every year because they were at Barney's mother's house so they decided to have a night out together, they went to dinner and then to a night club in which they hadn't done in years. The, last time they had gone partying and gotten drunk was when they went to that strip club a couple of months before they got engaged. But, last night they decided to let loose, after all this is the last chance they get to do something fun before their lives change forever. So, they went out for the night and didn't come back until the early morning. But, Barney got up early, even with a hangover still lingering on in his head. His, head was pounding but he didn't care, he took some Advil and some water and took it. He, didn't like having this headache but he couldn't go without making this annual breakfast. Every year, since they got married he did this breakfast for her, it started out randomly one morning in December, the first year of marriage. Robin, had been sick on that morning day, so Barney made her tea and toast. Then, she asked him for breakfast, she was hungry and sick so she wanted a full meal. He, laughed and told her she's just sick and needs to rest but then an hour later he surprises her with a whole meal. Breakfast, with the whole trimmings, bacon, eggs, pancakes, hash browns and some more toast. She, ate the whole thing.

So, that's how Barney's annual breakfast tradition had started. But, in the next year that will change so he wanted to make this breakfast extra special for her.

Robin, woke up to the smell of freshly made coffee and pancakes coming from the kitchen. She smiles to herself and realizes that it's Christmas Eve, Barney is making her breakfast in bed. She, goes back to sleep and pretends to sleep when he comes into the bedroom with a tray in hand.

"Good, morning Robin. Merry Christmas Eve, as always it's that time of the year for breakfast in bed." He, says smiling as he holds the tray in front of her sleepy face.

She smiles and sits up all the way on the bed.

"Wow, pancakes in the shape of a mom and dad and little silver dollar pancakes in the shapes of a baby?" She, looks at the pancakes on the plate in front of her weirdly but then she turns and smiles at her husband and shakes her head in amusement.

"Well, I wanted to do something completely different with the pancakes this year because next year we are going to have a baby, so we won't get to do these traditions much when the baby comes. So, I wanted to make this years breakfast extra special for you." He tells her, he sits down next to her on the bed after she moves over a little for him to have some space to sit down.

"Well, this is really kind of cheesy but it's sweet. Thank you, babe!" She, says leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

She's, really surprised. Barney, had been catering to her like this ever since they got married. She, always thought that marriage would be hard, she never imagined herself being married but being married has really changed her whole thinking about this subject. For, years she didn't want any commitment, her job was mostly the thing she committed to. But, after three years of marriage, even with the ups and the downs of it. She, surprisingly finds it wonderful. To, wake up like this to freshly made food and her incredible and surprisingly gifted (cook) husband is something she never expected seeing when they got married.

"So, for the next two days all we are going to do is stay in, watch our big screen TV, watch movies and enjoy our free time and freedom, because in seven months we are going to have our lives change. After, the year we had last year, I wanted for this day and tomorrow to be just about us." She, smiles when he says this, she started nibbling at her food as he talked to her.

Times, like this was always so nice to get to have. With, the big fight they had last year and the big change they decided to make. It, was the right time to just be together without anything or anyone bothering their free time.

"That, sounds… wonderful." She, smiles and all she can think of is that this is the life.

This, is everything she needs and being married isn't as bad as she once thought.

"So, I wanted to give you this." He states, getting up from the bed and going over to his dresser to get out the present that he wants to give her. It's, the first Christmas gift of many to come from him to her. He, didn't want to wait for tomorrow to give her this because he has been wanting to give this to her since last month.

He, comes back over and sits back on the bed after he hands her the gift he wants to give to her.

She, puts her fork down on the tray and sets the tray down next to her on the bed then takes the present from Barney and starts to open it slowly, with a smile plastered on her face. She's really interested and a little excited to see what Barney got her.

When, the gift is fully unwrapped she slowly opens the top of it. It's a square box, a jewelry box. When, she opens it she finds inside a heart shaped pendent, with his, hers and their baby's birth stones all around the edges of it.

"Oh, Barney this. This, is so beautiful, thank you." She, says getting a little emotional, her voice is low and sweet, choking back tears she smiles as she looks at the heart shaped necklace in her hand.

"Also, if you look at the back of this you will see an inscription." He mentions, she turns the pendent over to see what was written on the back of it.

It says: you are the loves of my life now and forever

It, also has his name and her name on the bottom of the inscription.

More, tears start to come and soon she was uncontrollable with emotion.

"Aw, Barney this is so beautiful. I am, really happy and excited to be having this baby with you." She, tells him a couple of minutes after she breaks down in tears.

"I, wanted to get you this to show you how happy I am with the choice we had made to have this baby. I, wanted something that would last forever and I knew something like this would. I'm glad you like it." And, this isn't the only jewelry he has for her, but that is for Christmas morning, along with a couple more presents that he had bought a couple of months ago that has nothing to do with the baby.

"I love it, I love you and I am thrilled to be having this baby with you too." She, kisses him. This time much longer than a little while ago.

She, forgets the breakfast beside her and gives in to her emotions and feelings as she kisses her husband more passionately then before.

A couple of hours later, they sit together on the bed and eat the breakfast he made for them. Hers, had gotten cold so he warms it up and gets a plate for him. They, sit and talk for another few minutes before they turn on the bedroom TV and watch whatever was on as they snuggled closely after they made love. They, watched movies and other things well into the night. They, didn't leave the room unless they had to, which was for the takeout they ordered for dinner. But, they stayed in bed all day just enjoying spending time together, after all the drama and hectic problems getting in their way. The, next morning is Christmas Day, they set their phones back from silent to sound but they didn't do anything else. They, spend Christmas together opening presents, sipping eggnog later in the day and yes there were pancakes, extra pancakes that Barney made the previous day. They, ate that for breakfast, then after that he called his mom and wished her a merry Christmas, and then they opened the rest of the presents they had for each other.

Barney, bought her two other things to go along with the pendent necklace he gave to her the morning before. And, she had bought him four presents but neither was counting the amount of gifts they gave to each other.

The, two gifts Barney gave to her was another piece of jewelry. This, time it was a diamond ring that matched the pendent he gave to her. This, ring had two birthstones on it, his and hers, with the diamond in the middle that is emerald green, the birthstone of the month of May which is the month they got married. And, the second gift out of the two he gives her on this day. Is, the book he had been writing for the past three years. The, marriage playbook titled the husband guide to a successful and happy marriage, she didn't know that he was doing this book. It was talked about, about a couple of months after they got married but he never followed up on it.

"Barney, you really wrote this. I thought you weren't going to do this." She, looks at him with a weird look on her face, she seems disappointed that he did this without telling her or even talking to her first before writing it.

"Well, I thought about it again last year. You, know when we were having those fights." She, nods knowing that that time was not a really happy time for them but they pulled through it and came out of it happier than ever, by making the decision to have a baby.

"I, thought about it and then when we were having those problems and you went off to London. I started to write somethings out, even though we were fighting and having problems, and it wasn't a great time for us. I started thinking about doing this again, so I wrote about one whole chapter for the book when you were away. Even, if it was not a happy time for us I still wanted to do this book. I talked, to a publisher after giving her a few copies of what I already wrote. She, loved it and decided to have me write more, into a whole book. I wrote two more chapters by the time you came home. So, when you came back I put this on hold again when we made the decision to have a baby. After, that I had more inspiration to write the rest of the book. I, didn't tell you about it because we were having those problems last year and weren't talking for a few weeks. I'm, sorry I didn't tell you I wanted to when the time was right but by then, the book was complete. I had about a week to complete it, I finished it and the publisher set the date for it to be released. Read, the inscription to the book." Her, face didn't change from the disappointed look but she did what he told her and looked at the first page of the book.

Inside it it says: This, is dedicated to my wife. We, have been going through some stuff lately but for the most part, our marriage has been a happy one. I love her every single day as our marriage moves ahead to the next stage. At, the time we were having some problems we decided to take a break but soon after made a decision that both of us really wanted. We, decided to have a baby after years of not wanting one and my wife's struggles with her infertility and her struggle with children in general. I want to thank my wife for being by my side through all of my craziness, all of my antics, all of my past situations I got myself into, we've been through alot together but came out of it being happy. She's, not only the love of my life she's my guiding light in my life and I can't wait to be a parent with her.

Tears, are coming down her eyes as she reads this beautiful and touching dedication to her. This part was her gift, the book was everyone else's gift but this little piece. That, is just for her and she knows it because it's true. All, those things that is said is true.

"Aw, Barney this is… beautiful, I'm sorry for getting all mad for a minute there. I love it." She's speechless, she can't believe even through their rocking year he still managed to be somewhat happy even though all the problems they were having within their marriage. But, she loves this and is excited to read the rest of the book too.

"So, I have somethings to give to you too. So, give me one minute to go to the bedroom to get one of the presents I left in there." She, had one present that she forgot she put in the closet in a very hidden place. She, had this gift in the closet since last year.

She, comes back with the box in hand it looked as small as the jewelry boxes he gave to her for her gifts.

"So, I had bought this for you last year. When, I was in London. Even, if we were having problems then I still didn't forget you, so I bought this because when I saw it I thought of you." He, takes the present and opens it inside there is two suit jacket cufflinks.

"I, saw this in a store in London one day and I instantly thought of you." She, tells him. The two cuffs were blue with a teeny Eiffel tower on the stone.

"These, are lovely Robin thank you." He smiles and kisses her, but these aren't the only gifts she had for him.

"I, also have a few others." She, went over to the tree and picked up three more presents then went back over to sit beside him on the couch.

"These, aren't really big or special but I wanted to get you these things because I thought you would like them." She, puts the three presents on the coffee table and he takes one of them to start opening.

These, presents were a bit bigger than the small cufflinks she just gave him but he takes each one and opens them one by one with a smile.

In, the first one he finds two ties to go along with his cufflinks. One, is matching the cufflinks with the Eiffel tower on it and the other one was a plain simple tie with red and green stripes on it. The, next present was slightly bigger than the ties. In, this box it was shirts, suit shirts. And, finally the last present was the biggest, it's something that he always wanted but never bought for himself or had anyone get for him. He, opens this box and inside was…

"Oh, wow Robin. How, did you know?" She, looks at him with this kind of an evil look on her face but it's not evil it's a more knowing look that she knew he wanted this for along time.

"I, don't reveal my sources. But, he wants to tell you that he remembered." She, stops as she gives him a teasing look, he smiles and shakes his head.

He, had no idea anyone knew about this. That, he had wanted this his whole life and never got it, but Robin did know and somehow he knows how she found this out.

Inside, this box though was something he had always wanted… A magic kit. It's, something that isn't in stores anymore, so he had forgotten all about it because nobody got this for him. The, last time he asked for it was when he was five, it was the last Christmas he got to spend with his dad before he left him. He, really can't believe it this literally made his whole life.

After, the presents were given, dinner was eaten and movies were watched. Barney, knew how Robin found out about the biggest gift he's ever received in his life. He, will keep this to himself but he really can't believe he remembered him wanting this kit. It's, actually the original box, it had changed years later but the box was its original and he's over the moon that Robin knew about this big secret of his that he never told anyone but one person in his lifetime. But, he will keep this secret to himself knowing that Santa had given him something he's always wanted… Robin.

The, next day they go to the doctors appointment. They, are finally going to meet their kid, and they can't wait to meet the baby they never thought they wanted or could have.

They, meet with their surrogate Sarah outside the doctors office and go inside together. This, appointment will find out so many things they want to know, so many things they have been nervous but excited to find out including the sex of their baby.

So, they wait in the waiting room to be called and a few minutes later they are called in to see the doctor. Sarah, remains clothed as Barney and Robin wait in anticipation for the doctor to come in. They, had yet to meet Sarah's OBGYN, because they weren't there when she had her first checkup after she was inseminated. So, they are just meeting her doctor on this appointment day.

The, doctor comes in a couple of minutes later and introduces himself to Barney and Robin.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Conrad. I'm, Sarah's OBGYN. I won't be the one who will be there when the baby is born. That, doctor will be Dr. Cameron. She's, Sarah's obstetrician." Barney and Robin shake the doctors hand and introduce themselves as the parents to be then Dr. Conrad begins the ultrasound.

A, few minutes later there was a sound coming from the machine next to them. It, was a strong heartbeat, or heart beats…

TBC...


	10. A Shocking Surprise (New Years Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney and Robin learn that they are going to have twins after thinking they were only going to have one baby. The gang, gets together as the new year is upon them and they celebrate the new surprising information on Barney and Robin's babies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As, I said previously I was going to post this on Sunday but I realized that I wanted to post one more chapter because it goes along with this chapter. So, for this chapter and the next it will be all about New Years especially the next chapter which actually starts on New Years Eve and ends on New Years Day. So I wanted to post this now so I can post the other chapter on Sunday, then I will take a slight break from this story for a few weeks and then focus more on B/R as a couple and that baby. I wanted to get this holiday out of the way in one chapter but then I realized I couldn't do that.
> 
> Yes, I decided for Barney and Robin to have twins, at first originally I was going to have one baby but then this idea came to me and I thought it would be a good idea to have them have twins to give the story a little bit of a twist. I think this will be interesting, the story will change into more of a baby/family story after the next chapter. So, enjoy these two chapters and have a nice new year because I won't be doing another AN for awhile.

"Wait, what?"

Barney, Robin and their surrogate all stared at the screen in front of them. It took another minute for them to have this knowledge sink in. They, are having twins. Twins. Two, babies after thinking all this time they were having just one baby. They, are having two, they can't believe their eyes but this is true. They, were all silent for a couple of minutes letting this new knowledge sink into their heads. They, never expected when they came here today, to find out how their baby is doing that they would be told that they aren't just having one baby, they are having two babies. Barney and Robin's eyes stare at the screen, both in shock that they are having twins. As, they held hands they didn't really understand how they are expecting two babies, not just one. This, was all such new information that not even their surrogate Sarah knew that there is two babies in her stomach right now.

Two. Babies. They, are in shock and are not sure what to say or think to this new information. When, they decided to try for surrogacy, the odds that one of their embryos would take were unsure. The, doctor who did the insertion, did it without them being there to see it. So, Barney and Robin had no idea that it's about a 70% chance that there could be more than one embryo that took. Nobody, informed them of this information, not any doctor, not their surrogate and their current doctor with them in this room seemed surprised as well to know that they are having twins.

"Did, you know about this?" Robin, asks Sarah without taking her eyes off the screen in front of her.

She, blinks a few times then looks at her surrogate. Sarah, shakes her head sincerely not knowing that she is carrying to babies in her stomach. Robin, and Barney were still, not moving from their seats staring at the screen a few more times to make sure that this knowledge is true. And, apparently it is. The, doctor scans the wand over Sarah's stomach, there is still a small round center in her stomach, she isn't showing as much but her stomach is slowly rounding more than it was a month ago. Barney and Robin look at each other, for the first time since learning this new information on their child, or children. They, are in shock, they are happy but this is so shocking to find out now. After, a couple of months thinking that they were having one baby.

"How, is this possible? We, thought we were having one baby not two." Barney, says his voice getting a bit squeaky as he said the word two to the doctor.

He, still can't take his eyes off the screen in front of him. He, can't believe what he's seeing. He, does see it though, there are two babies there in front of him on the screen. They, are right next to each other, he can't believe it.

"Well, there was a 70% chance that two embryos would take and well they did. Just, you are having two and not one. I, figure that you," she looks at Sarah. "Didn't know this." Sarah, shakes her head again this time at her doctor. "You, didn't know this because on your last checkup, this wasn't known yet. But, the odds were likely for this to happen." The, doctor explains.

Barney, and Robin are so in shock that this new information is washing over their minds right now. But, they are happy, shocked but happy nonetheless. Because, they went into this thinking they would just have one baby, and they thought that for the last two months. But, surprising as it is, they are incredibly happy about this. The, shock soon goes away and they are still staring at the screen, with their two children confirmed on the screen.

"Wow, I can't believe it. Babe, we're having two babies. How, excitingly awesome is that?" Barney, looks over at Robin. She, has tears streaming down her face. He, pulls her into him when he noticed that she was crying.

The, emotions soon took over from the shocked expression they had on their faces and soon they were both in tears. Crying, over this sudden, shocking knowledge that they are having two kids.

A, few minutes later they both collect their emotions and the embrace they were in and turned to the doctor who had just turned off the sonogram machine.

"So, since we are having two babies. Do, you know the sex of them yet?" They, were sure that they would be getting this information for one baby but now they want to know what both babies sex's are.

The, doctor turns to the couple as she holds the information to their babies in her hands. Smiles, and tells them what they are going to have.

"Yes, I do know. Are, you sure you want to know?" The, doctor asked just to be sure they want to know the sex of their children in this moment.

Barney, turns to Robin to make sure she still wants to know the sex. Only an hour ago they thought they were having one baby, and getting the information and sex on that baby. But, they are having two, not one but Robin smiles at her husband and shakes her head.

"Yeah, I do want to know. Before, I thought we would know the answer of this to one baby but now we are going to know the answer to this to two babies." As, Robin holds onto Barney's hand tightly in hers, her tears had subsided but the emotion of this knowledge is still very much present on her mind.

"Okay, yes doc we would like to know the sex of the babies." Barney, says waiting in anticipation to find out what he and Robin are going to have.

"Well, the first baby was a girl." The doctor says as she looks quickly at the folder of information in her hands. "And, the second baby was a boy." She, finishes smiling at the couple before her.

And, once again the shock comes back but the joy is still in place. They, are over the moon with this knowledge they can't believe this. But, they are extremely happy, beyond excited to be having two kids and not one.

"Wow, a boy and a girl. One, of each." Barney, says excitedly raising the hand that held onto Robin's. He, kisses her hand lightly smiling as they lean in to a kiss.

"I-I'm in such a shock but I'm really happy about this." Robin, finally says as they exit the room soon after knowing that they are having a boy and a girl.

"Me, too. I've never thought that I would be so happy but this knowledge and moment could be the happiest moment of my life. Well, second happiest the first marrying you. But, yeah I'm really happy. We, are having two babies, one boy and one girl I can't believe it." As, they exit the doctors office they soon say goodbye to their surrogate and go off in the other direction walking up the street.

They, walk all the way to Maclaren's hand in hand happily knowing that they are going to have two kids. Knowing, all this information was crazy, their heads are exploding from all the stuff they just found out. Neither, knew how to really process this news but maybe a drink or two would help fix their thinking pattern.

When, they got to Maclaren's they notice that Marshall and Lily are there in their old booth. They, are talking and drinking with each other, Barney and Robin walk up to them still holding hands with smiles plastered all over their faces.

"Hey, guys." Barney, says first. Robin, slides into the other side of the booth after hugging Lily and Barney sits next to her a second later after he also hugs Lily.

"Well, you two look really happy. What's going on?" Lily, asks looking at her friends beaming expressions on their faces.

These, smiles haven't left their faces since leaving the doctor's office.

"We, are." Robin, states matter of factually. Taking, a sip of her beer still smiling ever so brightly with the knowledge that she and Barney are going to not only be parents to one baby, but are going to be parents to two babies.

"So, why so happy?" Marshall asks, he's never seen these two this happy before whatever it is that is making them this happy he really wants to know.

"Well, we have some news. But, we want to wait for Ted and Tracy to come. Where, are they anyway?" Robin, says looking to see if her friends are coming into the bar at that moment.

She, and Barney wanted to wait until everyone was present to tell them about their wonderful slightly shocking news. The, shock of the news is now over, they are completely aware of this news and are really, sincerely happy with it. They, are now just excited to tell their friends their news.

"They, are running a little late as usual. Ted's, still at work." Marshall, informed them. Barney and Robin frown at this but they will be patient and wait until Ted and Tracy come to tell them their wonderful news.

"Oh, okay. We'll, just wait until they get here to tell you our news." Robin, says really wanting for the whole gang to be there when they tell them their news.

"Oh, man. Hurry, up Mosby. I really want to know what this news is." Lily, says mumbling curse words under her breath and Ted taking his ever freakin time.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long for them to show up. Although, it took another 20 minutes for them to arrive at the bar, they showed up as the other two couples sat, talked, drank and ate while they waited for Ted and Tracy to come to the bar.

"Finally, what took you two so long. Gees, you're always late for something these days." Lily, says annoyed that her friends took their sweet time to get to the bar. She, really wants to know what Barney and Robin's news is, she had started hiccupping just a little while ago hoping to convince Barney and Robin to tell them their news first then they can inform Ted and Tracy on their news.

They, didn't budge. They, just snacked and drank smiling teasingly at their friend who sulks impatiently at them.

But, soon Ted and Tracy arrived and they finally did get to find out Barney and Robin's wonderful news.

"So, we were waiting for you guys to show up because Barney and I have some news to share." Lily's, becoming annoying and unpleasant to be around she's desperate to know what the news is.

The, couple look at Robin wondering what her news is. Feeling, bad for holding them up longer than they wanted to, but Ted had to finish something's at the university first before going to pick up Tracy at a meeting she was at for her new book.

"Sorry, so what is your news Robin?" Tracy, asked wanting to know what this apparently big news is all about.

It's so big that Lily can't sit still and be patient for them to arrive at the bar. So, it has to be huge news, something really big that they didn't even want to only share with Marshall and Lily first.

"Well, we. Barney and I had just come from a doctors appointment. It was a checkup, to see how the baby is doing and if its healthy. We, thought at first that we were going to have one baby, because that's what we both were thinking and wanting when we decided to do surrogacy. Anyway, we were in the exam room checking to see the baby. But, soon we heard one heartbeat." Robin, pauses, looking over at Barney smiling trying to keep her emotions in tact to get this news out.

Their, friends all listened carefully and impatiently at what they are saying to them. Lily's, expression was first desperate to find out their news, then it changed to an excited look. The, others just look on at the couple telling them their news, all of them had blank looks on their faces. Lily, thinks she kind of knows where this is going and she hopes she's right.

"We, heard the one heart but soon that one heart turned into two hearts beating." Everyone's faces changed to an excited look, the one Lily was expressing a minute ago.

"Wait, what? Two hearts? Are you serious, you're having twins?" Ted, says shocked at this news it seemed crazy to him that his two formerly uncommitted and childless friends are not just having A baby, they are having two babies. This, is unbelievable. He doesn't know what to say.

"Yes, we are having twins. At, first we were shocked too but soon we were happy. And, now that shock wore off and we are really happy and excited to be having twins." Barney, says telling his friends what happened when he and Robin found out this amazing news.

"I'm, I can't believe it. But, congratulations you guys. I'm really happy for you." Tracy, says happily expressing her own feelings on this.

She, was shocked to learn that they were going to have a baby but two babies is just outstanding. She's, only known them a few years but she thinks this is wonderful, because they do really want to be parents they just thought they would have one baby.

"Thank, you Tracy." Robin says, hugging her.

"Wow, I knew it. I thought that you were going to have twins I was just not completely sure. But, wow, I am so happy for you guys." Lily, says truly happy about her friends having two babies.

"Thanks, Lil sorry for waiting to tell you. We, just wanted everyone here to know our news. I'm glad, you're all happy for us." Barney, says. Both, he and Lily standing up to hug each other.

"Yeah, we are all very happy for you. I never thought I would see the day when Barney and Robin are parents. Who, knew that marriage and a decision with a confession would change your lives forever." Marshall, says still shocked about this news but really happy for his friends.

"Thanks." Robin, says hugging Marshall after she hugged Lily.

They, all hugged Barney and Robin then sat back in the booth to continue their conversation. Everyone, was truly, and sincerely happy for the couple and are excited to see the two new addition to their little family that was once just the five of them. Now, there are three babies in the group and three babies on the way. Two for Barney and Robin and one for Marshall and Lily. Who, has been pregnant for five months now.

Soon, the gang all finished up chatting with each other and finally made plans for New Years. Which, is in only three days. They, all agreed to watch the fireworks from Barney and Robin's building because you can have a really nice few of the city and plus they have a big screen TV to see the countdown to the New Year. So, that's what they are going to do this year. Everyone, could drink but Lily. But, nobody really cared because Barney and Robin are going to be having two kids in the next year and Lily will be having another as well. Three, babies within a couple of months they are all really happy for the new additions to their once small little gang of five.

Three, days later they all gathered in Barney and Robin's apartment for the evening. Robin, had taken off work for this weekend and wouldn't be going back to work until Tuesday. Barney, isn't working for another week either, so they decided to paint the nursery room for their two, 2 they still can't believe it. Babies, two children who they will love and want in their lives.

"Wow, this is a really nice room so far." Lily and Tracy are in the guest bedroom that is now the nursery for their children. They and Robin are in the room hanging out talking about kids and Robin becoming a mom for the first time.

Lily, never thought she would see the day when her best friend Robin would be a mother. Robin, Scherbatsky is going to be not just a mother to 1 baby, she's going to be a mother to 2 babies. She, still can't believe but is still very happy for her, and for Barney too.

"Yeah, Barney had gone a little overboard with buying things but it is really nice." Robin, says looking around the room, the room had everything the babies would need except they haven't painted yet and don't have two's of everything, like two dressers and two cribs. But, overall the room is coming around to be very roomy for their children.

"He's really happy, huh?" Tracy says, seeing how her forever diaper man really is going to be a diaper man forever really is crazy to think about but is surprised to see Barney so sure about being a father.

"He, is. We, both are. Shocking huh?" The two other ladies shake their heads and they break out in a laughter at the thought of her and Barney being parents soon.

"I never thought I would see the day when Barney Stinson actually wants a kid. In this case, two kids. I, never thought you would want to be a mother either." That's the truth, nobody really understood her, other than Barney they all just assumed she never wanted kids. It's, that she could never have them.

She, looks at her friends and starts to tear up a little realizing that even her closest friend whom she knew for years didn't know that she did want to be a mom, she just couldn't physically have them.

"Aw, Robin. I'm sorry, I know this is a hard subject for you." Lily, says after she sees her friend break into tears when she mentioned she would never be a mother.

"I, guess until recently. Well, not so recently. I didn't realize that I really did want to be a mother, I just can't physically have them. This, was the issue I have had since it was brought up during our wedding weekend. Not, being able to give Barney kids, it was devastating when I found out I was infertile but soon it hit me that I would never get to actually physically have Barney's kids. I mean, I didn't even think we would even get back together, at that time but then we did and we got married. It, didn't hit me until Loretta talked about it during that weekend. I, guess I never really dealt with this until last year when we decided to do the surrogacy thing. But, truth is I really did want kids I just never felt the need to have them until last year." She, says honest and truthfully, finally opening up to her friends she trusts the most in her life.

Barney, was the only one who knew about this struggle and she tried to keep it a secret, just with them but with the news that they are having babies it would have come out anyway. So, it's a real relief to finally let out her emotions on this and to tell other people, people she trusts that she really did want kids it was just she wanted them with Barney but couldn't have them. That's, how surrogacy came into this, even if she can't physically have them, she still wants to be a mother with Barney, because she knows deep down for a long time that Barney did want to be a dad. He, put that idea out of his mind because he loved Robin way more than the possibility of having a kid at all.

The, fights they had the last couple of years really took all the thoughts and emotions they held inside themselves for along time they allowed it all to come out and now everyone she's close to knows her deepest and darkest secret and struggle all these years.

The, girls all sit and relax for a bit inside this room admiring the new room for Barney and Robin's son and daughter until they get up and out of the room to join the guys who are out on the terrace admiring the city's view and smoking cigars on a cold night on New Years Eve. It, was 10 o'clock now but the little conversation the girls had really helped Robin clear all her emotions and let her inner struggles be known to the people she loves the most besides her husband that is. She, can now finally move on and ahead with their new lives of being parents to two kids.


	11. Decisions Of The Heart (New Year's Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's New Year's Eve, the gang is all together gathered at Barney and Robin's ringing in the new year. The decisions they had made, they know it was the right decision to make. Barney and Robin spend the next day together, thinking about what will be happening in the next few months and talk about how much their lives has changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just wanted to tell you readers that Barney did not make the decision to have a baby with Robin because he was bored or depressed or had anything to do. This, decision was made because he felt like something was missing from his life, he's seen everyone around him have babies, he thought about this long and hard and it was a very hard decision for both him and Robin to make. Barney and Robin want to have these babies, they want their children but this decision goes to the inner things inside themselves they secretly kept from each other for along time. I wanted to do this twist with them having twins because I felt it was a good thing for the story. You'll, find out why I had them have twins sometime later in the story but for now they wanted to make this decision because they were both missing something in their lives, in their relationship. They, came close to divorcing actually no they came close to splitting up for a little while but they never got to that point or ever will because they're together forever and this decision was for the best for their marriage. They, are more older and more wiser now and this subject gets brought up because both want it, they both wanted to have a baby. I think, the more they're married the more things they learn along the way, they grew up and are more mature now and know what they want in life and both wanted the same thing at the same time.
> 
> Happy New Year to everyone I hope you have a nice new year and a happy and healthy year. I will be taking a break for a while from this story but I wanted to post this because it went along with the last chapter.

Her, arms slowly go around her husband's back pulling him against her. Barney, was standing on their balcony, smoking a celebratory cigar on this cold night on New Year's Eve. The, last two years had been really emotional and life changing two years for the couple, but after all the struggles, the fighting, the insecurities, the secrets they held tightly in themselves, the battles they had to face and overcome, it all was worth it because in just a few month they are going to be having two babies. Two, kids after thinking they would just have one for the last couple of months. But, they are both really happy and ready to be parents, especially Barney. They, are both ready and are excited to meet their two children that both struggled for a long time over. They, are having two children and they are ready and excited to meet them, if it wasn't for that little rough patch last year they probably wouldn't be having even one of those two babies.

But somehow they overcame their inner battles about this and made the right decision to have a baby. But, now they are having two and two is better than one even they know that. They, got to finally get that second chance to be with each other and do over the things that pulled them apart the last time they were together before that. They, got married and three years into marriage they are happier, wiser, mature and honest about what they want and how they are feeling about whatever it is that they hold back from each other. Because, a new chance to get them right again and to do things differently the second time around made them both really happy, happier than ever before. That, rough patch they went through, they went through together, despite Robin running off to London to clear her head about the knowledge that her husband had been thinking about kids. Unlike, the last time they had a rough patch then broke up, neither wanted for that to happen again because neither could bare it if the rough patch they had last year ended up just like their last rough patch. They, used to go without talking after a fight, one would run off somewhere to clear their minds then come back and let things that caused the flight still linger, in built up tension and it led to them breaking up before they could figure out how to prevent a fight.

But, now they don't do that. When a fight starts they talk things over without running away mad or throwing things at each other. Now, they sit and talk and that's what they did last year after she came home from running off to London after Barney broke his news to her.

So, they had to do things a lot more differently and shared their deepest most inner most thoughts with each other because neither wanted to lose each other and end up the way they did the last time they had a rough patch.

"Hey." He, smiles as she pulls him against her, her head now resting against his back. The, talk she had with the girls really helped her ease her mind more but she isn't going to change her mind about this because for one it's too late to rethink this idea and two she doesn't want to. She's really happy and ready for this new adventure with Barney and she couldn't be anymore happier about it.

This, is truly the happiest time in her life, and in their lives she's never been as happy as she is right now and it was the right thing to do to make the decision they made to have a baby. Now, they're having two babies and both are extremely happy about that.

"Hey, can I get a hit?" She asks, wanting to take a drag of his cigar.

Even, though she had stopped smoking three years ago Robin still likes having a good cigar from time to time. Since, it's a holiday and the new year she wants to enjoy having this in this moment because it has been a long time since she had a cigar. The last time was last year.

She, really didn't want to run away like that it's just she got scared and did the thing that she's always done when it comes to Barney Stinson. She, runs but she really can't run too far since one they are married and two she would return home after this week is over. Even if she ran to London to get away from what she just found out. She, needs to face this head on but right now she can't and needs to be away from her husband to think about everything.

Barney, knew about her infertility and he knew that she didn't want kids but he didn't know that she had been struggling with a inner demon. Something, she's held tightly within herself for a long time and when he said the words "I want to have a baby." It really threw her, so much so that she took this assignment and ran off to London to figure things out, alone without any interruptions or fighting. Which, is good because if she and Barney keep fighting like they are they are going to lose each other, they slipped so suddenly and fast the last time they had this kind of rough patch that it ended with them breaking up and both trying really hard to stop their feelings for each other, they were miserable, the breakup really was their downfall. Losing, what they were trying to have with each other so soon into the relationship was secretly killing them. They, spent years after that mourning their relationship, in a deep aching pain, finding ways to distract themselves from thoughts of each other, they pined and pined, they cried and cried, ran and ran, pretending that they were just fine being apart. But, truth was that they weren't, they were still in love but felt like if they got back together it would fall apart again and both realized that couldn't happen.

So, they kept running circles around each other and pining for years because they were in love. Losing, each other wasn't an option for them so they kept denying and running from what they knew they wanted for a long time: each other. They, went years secretly in love and it took other relationships, distractions and semi long engagement set up for them to finally stop running.

But, the last two years had been going well, not great but well. They were still in love but secretly keeping things they held deep inside them from each other. Leaving, both wondering if they made a mistake getting married when they weren't even together before their engagement. The, fighting in the last two months got to be overwhelming and the secrets they kept were slowly killing them. Even, though they were in love, they still held onto these secrets and that is how the fighting started. Robin, started to throw herself into her job and Barney found ways to distract himself from his thoughts on this issue that he just brought to Robin's attention.

Robin, needed to clear her head about this sudden situation and the reason why Barney started to become so distant with her was because of what she just learned. She, wasn't expecting for this to ever be brought up or thought about again but it was.

Barney, wants a baby but there isn't any way of her having one. At, least not biologically. Which, is even more shocking to her because he knew she couldn't have a baby. He, knew she was infertile and she thought it wasn't an issue, he told her it wasn't an issue and he loved her without kids. He, said this on their wedding weekend, but now suddenly he's thinking about having a baby and hasn't been happy in the last couple of months.

She, finds herself alone in her apartment (which WWN is paying for, for her stay there) standing outside on her terrace smoking a cigar. She, quit smoking a year earlier but from time to time she gets a craving for a smoke and the only thing she smokes now is cigars. So, she lit the cigar and started smoking it thinking about what had happened the day before, before she jumped on a plane and came here to London for this assignment not even telling Barney she was going to come here.

He, has been calling her all morning (well since last night) but she can't seem to return his calls, at least not yet because she needs to do some thinking and she needs to do the thinking alone without him here, because she knows if he was here they would probably start fighting and she doesn't want that to happen. She, wanted to get away from that, because she knew she would blow up at him and didn't want this fight to go over their heads too much even though she was about to start one.

It's shocking and not a good shock that he up and told her just yesterday that he's been thinking about babies just in the metaphoric way, telling her that he's not really happy with where is life is right now. Being, with Robin, being married to her makes him happy but he feels like something in his life is missing. Since, he left GNB and was currently trying to find another job he hasn't been himself, in fact he's been really quiet and depressed lately. This, whole first year of marriage was great and he had been really happy until two months ago when he finally left GNB for good after he wrapped up his take down of the company. But, since then he seems distant, distracted, quiet and depressed which had worried Robin one night when she came home from work.

Barney, was sitting on the couch in the dark without moving, without any sound around him and he wasn't wearing his usual summer suit. He was wearing sweats and a t-shirt deep in thought. She, knew that since he left his job that he hasn't taken it well, being unemployed pretty much sucked but he hasn't been happy since leaving his job and it started to worry her.

"Barney?" She walks over to him after she puts her purse by the door on the coat stand.

She, knew that when she left this morning that he seemed to ignore her and looked upset about something so she walks up to him gently touching his hand as he stared off into the distance deep in thought about something. He, didn't look at her or talk to her for another couple of minutes but when he did he looked as though he was in pain over something. She, guessed she knew this was about work, the fact that he just left his job and was currently trying to find another. He's never been like this before, although she remembers that he was going to lose his job a few months after they broke years earlier. But, she's never seen him this upset and depressed over a job he seemed to not really care about. She, gets why he didn't care about GNB after all he did take down the company after being there for years and secretly getting dirt on the corrupt company.

So, it's weird to see him so down about a job he never seemed to care about and left because he was done with that job and company.

"What's wrong?" She asks, when he finally turns to her. She noticed he had this somber but depressing look on his face and immediately regretted saying what's wrong.

"I can't seem to find a single company that would hire me. Ever, since I took down GNB, it has been all over the news." She, knows this is true she is a reporter after all and did know that the news had been covering this for the last year.

"Right. But, you'll find something eventually someone will hire you. You, are good at what you do, you did good taking down that bad/evil bank so someone will hire you. It might just take sometime." She, says sincerely. Barney, has always been secretly really good at his job when he was at GNB so she doesn't think that it would be that hard for him to find another job because he was good at it.

"Yeah, right nobody wants to hire me due to what I did to one of the biggest companies in the world." He, says agitated about this it's frustrating to not be able to find something, what he did to GNB was good it wasn't a bad thing. The, bank overall was evil and corrupt so why should they not want to hire him.

"Hey, look what you did to GNB. That, was a good thing they had it coming all along. They, have new and better management now so they aren't a bad company anymore." She, tries to reason with him but he's still sulking and rolling his eyes.

"Well, everyone who is hiring and I had talked with told me to go to hell. Nobody, wants to hire me after what I did and I don't think time will work in my favor either." He, looks like he wants to punch something or throw something or cry she's really worried that this is going to get even more worse than it is already.

"Maybe. But, they might and could hire you. You, are smart and resilient you will find something soon."

He, didn't find something until a few months later and he's working for the FBI now after what had happened last year when he was trying to find another job. He, likes this job so much more than GNB and has been there now for five months.

She, now thinks she was wrong to leave the way she did but she needed to think after what he told her right after this conversation the previous day.

He, turned to her and smiled lightly trying to be more positive about this job hunt. He, takes her hand and finally tells her what he's been thinking about for the last few months since Lily and Marshall had Daisy and Tracy getting pregnant so quickly into her relationship with Ted.

"I want to have a baby, Robin." Her, face dropped from the smile she just had when he took her hand in his.

This, can't be true. Barney, wants a kid? He said he was okay with not having kids with her because for one she didn't want them and two she couldn't have them. So, this sudden confession really threw her off track in thinking he was okay with just being with her without bringing up this subject again.

She's, in shock she doesn't know what to say but what she does is takes her hand out from his and stands up from the couch in a hurry.

"WHAT?" She, shouts after a few minutes of pacing the living room.

She, was thinking deeply about what he just told her and she can't believe what he just said it seemed to come out of nowhere.

"I have been thinking about this. I, know we talked about this and I said was okay with not having kids but I've really thought about this for a while now and I haven't really been satisfied with my life. I, mean don't take this wrong but I do love you, and I am fine with not having kids. I wasn't lying about that. But, I have been thinking lately that there's something missing in my life. With, Marshall and Lily having another and Tracy being pregnant the thought of kids came back to my mind and with no job and nothing else to do I started thinking about this again." And, again she's speechless not knowing what to say to this.

It's so sudden, he's bringing this up now after thinking that he was okay with being childless. That, he was completed and happy just being with her. She, doesn't understand why he started thinking about this after being okay with not having any kids because she can't have kids and he knew that.

"I-I'm just. Why now? Why all of a sudden are you thinking about kids when you said you were fine with not having any. I can't even have a baby, you know that. So, why now?" She's, stunned and doesn't know what to do or say to this.

"Because, I'm here bored, jobless and I have nothing else to do so I have thought and thought analyzing this in my head over and over again. The only conclusion I can come up with is for us to have a baby." She, can't believe this how can he do this to her, now of all times he's bringing this up when she thought the opposite since their wedding weekend.

"I, just think there's something missing in my life. Don't, get me wrong I'm happy being with you but I'm not 100% satisfied with where my life is right now. Leaving, GNB left me feeling deflated and like my life has no meaning. So, yes I have been thinking about this and I want to have a baby. With you, I'm sorry for springing this on you now but it's the truth for a while now." After, this Robin had left the apartment then called her boss to tell him that she will take the job he offered her earlier this day in London. She, found herself sitting on a plane the next morning.

She, would be here for a week. Her, phone rings again this time she does pick up and talks to Barney telling him that she left and why which caused another small fight over the phone. They, hang up mad and think about the things they kept from each other since getting married.

He, hands her the cigar and she takes a drag which she needed after the year she had and the decision they made to have kids. Last, year was really a wake up call for the both of them but when the shock and anger went away they really thought about it and she returned home after she thought about this and made her decision to tell her husband about her deepest darkest secret, the secret she's kept hidden inside herself for a long time.

They, decide a few months later that they will find a way around her infertility. However, every doctor they saw told her the same thing, that there was a very slim chance for her to get pregnant so they discussed this, and found information on surrogacy which worked and now they are having twins.

"I thought you quit smoking?" He says, turning around to face her and breaking the hold she had around his waist.

"Cigarettes, I didn't quit smoking everything, just cigarettes. Cigars, are the exception." She, tells him in a light sweet tone.

She, takes another drag of the cigar then hands it back to Barney who smiled and took it taking a drag of his own.

"I'm, really happy with our decision. I hope you know that." She, says a couple a minutes later looking into his eyes sincerely telling him her truth. The, thoughts she's been thinking since she and the girls had that talk in their now children's bedroom. She's really calm and ready for this, if she didn't come home that next Sunday from her London assignment and told him her truth, her biggest and only secret she's been keeping from him. Then, they wouldn't have made this decision and it was the best decision they ever made as a couple.

"Yeah, I do. I'm really happy with it too." He, says smiling leaning in to kiss her.

He's always loved kissing her when she's smoking. Rather, it was a cigarette (which she really did stop smoking) or a nice cigar he's always enjoyed the way she tastes whenever she smoked. It was one of the things that he finds attractive about her. Even, though she stopped smoking cigarettes sharing a cigar with her is something he would always cherish and remember fondly about her because it made him fall in love with her. It's also a memory that he will remember forever because it's their thing and that's never going to end. He's grateful she didn't stop smoking cigars.

"It's, almost midnight. Can you believe it, it's almost 2017 and only a few months away from having twins. TWINS! I never thought I would actually say that. But, I'm really happy about this, making this decision was for the best for the both of us because we both wanted it and we are happier because of it." That's, the truth. Making this decision changed everything, when Robin came home from London they really talked and discovered that Robin had that deep secret that she wanted to have a baby with Barney she just couldn't have them.

"I can't believe we're going to be parents. 2017 will be a wonderful year, I can't wait to meet our children." She, says taking his hand.

He, put out the cigar and they walked back inside the apartment just in time for the start of the countdown and the beginning of the new year.

"Happy new year baby." He, says pulling her into a kiss welcoming in the new year that will no doubt have new beginnings and changes.

"Happy, new year." She, smiles a few minutes later after the kiss.

They, soon join together with their friends in the living room as they popped champagne and welcomed in the new year with them. Everyone, stayed for another two hours before they left leaving Barney and Robin to clean up the mess they all left them. They, didn't clean it up on this night though, they went to bed thinking about what the new year will bring them and what they will name their two children.

The, morning comes and it's the new year and a new day for them. Ready, for their new lives to begin. After, a few months not having a job Barney did finally find a job working with the FBI and is handling the books for them he's now an agent for them and he loves doing what he's doing. Robin, however had taken a step back after making the decision to have a baby with Barney from her job. She's, still working for WWN she's just anchoring now like she did after she took this job. She, decided to put Barney and her family with him first, and stopped her international correspondent job which also doesn't pay as much as an anchor does.

"Good, morning." Barney says, smiling over at a sleepy looking Robin.

They, went to bed at 3 and woke up at 7 so they only had four hours of sleep. Both, are still kind of tired but neither care.

"Morning." She, smiles back at him. They, went to bed without having their nightly routine of sex but both were too tired for sex so they just went to bed lying together closely which will likely happen when their twins are born.

More, will happen when their twins are born.

"Are, you hungry?" Barney asks, wanting to know if she's hungry after they hadn't really eaten since earlier last evening.

"A little, but I kind of like just staying here for now." She, says truthfully not wanting to get up out of bed when she's too tired to even move.

"Okay." Barney, agrees pulling her close into him. She rests her hand on his chest and her head slightly on his shoulder and pillow.

They, stay in bed for another two hours then they do have breakfast together. Barney, makes a quick batch of french toast, eggs and sausage with coffee and orange juice. They, stay in the rest of the day and just watch TV, also they talked about baby names and when they want to finish the nursery. They, agreed on a few names, both girls and boys then started to paint the nursery yellow and green. The, neutral colors are good for both boys and girls. Then, they order another crib from the place online he had bought the other one. Soon, the nursery will be finished and ready for their son and daughter to be in. In, the next week the room should be complete so all that's next to do is celebrate the new year alone for the rest of the afternoon. They, watched movies, ate dinner and enjoyed some free time with each other.


	12. The Box (Robin's Childhood Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin, receives an unexpected gift from an unknown source and Barney and Robin find out a little more about her childhood and past life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back to continue this after my two week break. I wanted to make this story more about Barney and Robin's relationship and focus mostly on them so that's what I did with this chapter and what I'll be doing in the next chapters as well. I kind of pulled a little twist to Robin's childhood/life story because I want to get into her world and mind a little bit more, so a twisted her childhood story a little bit, in the next two chapters we'll get to see her really find out what her childhood was like and what her life was like when she was a baby to about four years old. I, really wanted to do something different with this story so I want to get into the minds of Barney and Robin and that's going to happen for the next few chapter, I have a plan for this entire year that they're in which is 2017 and I might or might not go past this year after that but I don't know yet.
> 
> For, now though this is the two part chapter about Robin's childhood and the beginning of Robin having a much better relationship with her father. You, might notice (for B/R shippers) that there is a canon part of this where Robin Sr. is apologizing to her you'll notice/find out about that and more in this chapter and the next one. After, this I will do one whole chapter on Valentine's Day and maybe Desperation Day within that chapter but since neither Barney or Robin are desperate on this year I might not do that. We'll, see though but enjoy this two parter and the one after that I enjoyed writing this.

Three, weeks into the new year and already there was a big problem. It, wasn't like she didn't want to see him, but she really did not want to see him. It has been three years since she last saw her father, she had to kind of beg him to come to Thanksgiving, but after that Robin had stopped talking to her father after he blew up at her and walked out leaving her Thanksgiving party with a sulking fit. So, that was the last time Robin saw her father and talked to him, she hasn't talked to him at all since.

Barney, tried to help try to get them to talk but everything he tried to do didn't work. He, would talk to Robin and try to get her to talk, be the first one to step up to the plate and talk to her father. He, tried talked to Robin Sr. but he never returned any of his calls or emails. He, tried everything he could to try to get the two talking again but neither would budge and be the first one to give in and talk. Not, that it's Robin's fault for the way her father acted during their Thanksgiving get together but it's wasn't her fault and now she's seeming to blame herself for what she wants in her life and the way she lives it.

Barney, and Robin up until now had a pretty great holiday season spending as much time as they possibly could in those two weeks plus two days which went into the new year. 2017, started out as a calm, quiet, good and happy time for them but as soon as the calm, quiet and happy times were over it was time to go back to reality. They, both wanted to start this new year off in a much happier way than the last two years, because those two years were not the best times for the couple. But, because everything is about to change even more in their lives. They, wanted to start off this new year with a fresh start, without anything hanging over their lives and relationship. So, they ended the last year on a more happier note, and started out this new year the same way and both wanted to keep it that way.

Until, one day something out of the blue came for them…

"I'm, sorry to bother you Mrs. Stinson but you have some packages waiting down here for you. Do, you want me to come up to give them to you or do you want to come down to get them?" The, doorman asked through the intercom, wondering if Robin would come down to get the things that are there for her.

"Oh, okay I'll be right down to get them." She, says wondering what she could be going downstairs to get.

She, quickly put on her shoes and a sweater and took her keys then headed out to go downstairs to see what she's receiving from the doorman.

"So, what is it that came for me?" She, asks the doorman, his name is Fred he has always been really nice and friendly to her since she moved in here but every time she walked out or in the building he would greet her with a friendly welcome or goodbye and whenever she needed something he would help her with whatever she needed.

It, must be because Barney has always been a good tenant in the building. Since, everyone who lives in the building and the landlord seemed to like him, he has after all been living there for a very long time. So, Robin guesses that he's always been a good tenant and neighbor since he's been living here for as long as she's known him. So, it was always nice to see Fred every day, Monday through Friday, there is another doorman at night and on weekends, Henry who is also very nice but doesn't really talk much or interact with any of the tenants in the building. But, Fred has always been really friendly and nice towards Robin whenever she passes by him in the mornings on her way to work and also on her way back from work.

"So, these two things were just left here a few minutes ago. Here, they are. If, you need any help getting them upstairs I can help you with that too if you want." Fred, says in the same friendly tone as he used when he just greeted her.

"Oh, wow this is huge." She says looking at a gigantic teddy bear lying on the floor next to the doorman's desk. "And, this looks pretty heavy too." She, says looking at a box on the floor next to it.

"Do, you know who sent this?" She, asks but Fred shakes his head then gives her another thing that came attached to the bear which fell off when it first arrived.

"No, but maybe this envelope might." Fred, hands the envelope to Robin and she takes it smiling noticing the handwriting on it.

"Oh." She, says looking sadly down at the envelope in her hand.

"Something, wrong Mrs. Stinson?" Concerned, Fred asks seeing Robin's face going from a smile to an unknown look of sadness.

"Um, no nothing's wrong. But, thank you for telling me that this came for me. I do kind of need your help though, this box looks a bit heavy can you help me with that?" She, asks looking up at Fred trying to smile as best she could after realizing who sent these items to her.

"Sure." Fred, goes over and picks up the box on the floor then they walk towards the elevator and go back up to her apartment.

"Thanks, Fred you can just leave the box here." Robin, says and Fred does as told. She, hands Fred a 50 dollar bill as a tip then Fred leaves leaving Robin alone with the items that were sent for her.

It, took another hour for her to really get the courage to open the letter in the envelope but when she did the sudden emotions hit her so hard that when Barney finally came home from work three hours later she had tired herself out from crying. She, fell asleep on the couch with the letter in her hand and the card lying on the coffee table in front of her.

He, smiles lightly down at his sleeping wife. He, didn't notice that she looked as though she was crying at first but then he notices the letter in her hand then the card on the coffee table. The, box that came earlier was placed in the corner next to the intercom so he didn't see the box at first, he just saw his very sleepy wife, passed out on the couch but then it all hit him that Robin has been crying over something because her face was damp due to the tears she couldn't control for two hours. Her, hair was covering her face so he didn't really see her eyes, but they were bloodshot red around them so he figured that she had been crying. Then, he sees the note in her hand, she was clenching it in her hand close to her chest, but because she was sleeping the note moved from her chest to her arm.

He, takes the note from her embrace of it. At, first it was hard to get because she was holding the paper so tightly in her hand, trying not to wake her up he carefully tries to remove the note from her very, surprisingly very strong grip on it. It, took three tries to get the note to get loose from her grip but when he does take the note from her hand, he quickly glanced at the note, seeing that it was a note from Robin's father, which was written on the bottom of it.

Robin's, dad sent her this note. Was, Barney's first thought after skimming through the note quickly. Then, as Robin was still fast asleep he quietly took the note and went to the bedroom. When, he entered the room he sees the teddy bear resting on the bed, making him realize that her dad must of sent this bear to her. He, sits on the bed with the note in his hand and the bear still sitting on the bed in back of where he's sat.

He, now reads the whole note in full because he only glanced at it quickly before and only knew that the note and now the teddy bear was from her father. So, he reads the note in full and by the end of it, he realizes why Robin was completely out of it when he came home and saw her asleep on the couch. She, wasn't just asleep, she was passed out exhausted from crying over the note and stuff her father sent to them.

In, the note it said…

Dear, Robin;

I, know I have been really distant these last years. Well, no I have been distant your entire life but I am truly, really sorry for the way I have treated you. I, know I haven't been there for you the way you liked me to or the way a father is supposed to, but I am really sorry for the way I had acted throughout your life. I never meant to treat you that way, I was just a really lost soul and I needed to take my lost self and take my misery and make it into yours, I am so sorry for putting all of my needs onto you when you were younger and I regret the way I handled things when you were growing up. I was just not happy with my life back then, I was also going through the split with your mother. But, that isn't an excuse and it wasn't how I should have raised you. I want to apologize for the way I acted during Thanksgiving, that was you and Barney's first Thanksgiving as a married couple and I am sorry for ruining part of what should be a celebration but again I was just being really selfish. I am really, and truly happy for you and Barney, I see how happy you both are and I realized that I've been putting my own mistakes and misery onto you for your whole life, I realize that you and Barney have something really wonderful and special together and I put all of my faults onto you, I am sorry for being selfish and not seeing how very happy you are. You, are happy, you have your career and the success you always strived for. And, you have Barney who, I'll be honest I see a lot of him in myself but despite that he really, really does love you and cares a lot about you, that's something I never did when I was with your mother.

But, you and Barney have something wonderful together and he loves you so much more than I ever did with anyone who I thought I loved, your mother being one of those many women. I'm sorry for putting you through all of our drama when you were just a kid, but don't ever think that Barney is who I was back then. Barney, is much more of a man than I will ever be and he respects, loves and cares a lot about you. I see the way he loves you, I see the way he cares for you, and I see how he is a much better man than I was and am. Back, before you got married. The, time when you told me that you were engaged. If, you remember I didn't take that news very well at the time and you were angry with me. Barney, had sat me down and gave me a very stern lecture about how wonderful you are and how I should be thankful to have you in my life. He, was truly mad at how I reacted to your engagement and tore through me for a good half an hour. I know I kind of brushed off my apology at the time and I am really sorry for being selfish at the time, once again I made your engagement announcement about me and I'm sorry. But, don't take Barney for granted I did that with a lot of women from my passed and one of them (who was not your mother) was the girl I let get away. But, Barney is a really good man and good person and he really showed me how great of a woman you are. I am sorry for treating you as a boy, I know you're a woman and a very strong, smart and grown woman. You, have grown up to be a wonderful woman, it took me a long time to really see you for the woman you are but you are an amazing woman and thanks to Barney I understand what he meant by this.

He, loves you so much and I am so happy and glad you've found a man like that. So, I want to finish this letter with I am sorry, once again for everything and I am truly happy for you and Barney, I can't wait to meet my grandchildren. I love you, RJ and I am so very proud of you.

Love, your father

Oh, P.S. I sent along somethings for my grandchildren I hope you enjoy those items the things in the box are somethings from your childhood and when you were a baby. Enjoy, you and Barney both enjoy the joy of those items.

"I, guess you read the letter." Robin, had been standing in the door way looking at Barney reading then re-reading the letter in his hand and didn't notice that she was standing there. He, even got a bit choked up reading the letter now he knows how Robin must've felt reading it.

"Hi. Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when your father finally puts his own ego aside and become a man. A, father you always needed. But, I'm glad he finally came around." He, was looking down staring at the letter in his hand not believing that Robin Sr. actually put his ego aside to actually sit down and write this note to her, after all this time Robin finally gets the father she always wanted.

"Me, neither but I'm shocked that he really did this for us and for me." She, says walking over and sitting next to him on the bed taking the letter from him and folding it back up the way it was when it came earlier today.

"Well, I'm guessing you didn't take it well seeing that you seemed to be passed out on the couch clutching the letter so lightly I had to struggle with it trying to take the letter from your very tight grip on it." She, laughs and puts her head on his shoulder.

She's, all cried out for this day and still a bit tired but she is glad that Barney is home. She's, really happy with where her life is right now, she didn't need her father to suddenly be a father to her and grandfather to her children, but he is and Robin's really content with it. After, crying for hours over this she is finally glad that her father finally came around and stepped up to be the father she's always wanted and did need at one time in her life. Now, though she has Barney and that's all she really needs because even if they didn't make the decision to have children, she still knows how much (especially now) how much Barney loves her and understands now that there really wasn't anything else she needed in her life. However, she's content and happy with her life now and now that her father has apologized. Barney, really is the only man she really needs in her life and knows that he's going to be a wonderful father, the father that she's always wanted and who her children need and that's all she will ever want from now until they are old and gray and sitting in a nursing home.

Her, life is completed and kind of just beginning in a way. Now, she and Barney can just be a family and she doesn't have to worry about what her father thinks about her life anymore because that is all in the past and Barney is her future, she doesn't need anything or anyone else to be completed.

"I, was really emotional and cried myself to sleep. But, I'm all better now. Now, that you're here." She, smiles up at him and he smiles back with his arm around her he kisses her then pulls away after a minute.

"I'm, glad that's over with. But, what was in that box I didn't even know there was a box." Barney, had read and then re-read the letter and in the letter the box was mentioned but he didn't really think about it much until just now.

"Um, I actually don't know. I brought the bear," they both look behind them at the giant bear resting on their bed then they look at each other and laugh at how big it is. "In, here then went back into the living room to read the letter I read it for about an hour then cried myself to sleep. I didn't even think about the box after that, but now that you mentioned it I remember that my father sent me a box of things from when I was a baby and to about 8 years old, before things really changed when I was that age." He, knows what she means by changed, but doesn't say anything about it.

"Okay, do you want to see what's in the box?" He, asks she then nods and says yes.

They, get up and go back to the living room to look to see what was inside the huge box that her father sent her. Now, they had already bought most of the things they needed for the babies, in the last two months. And, they didn't need anything else but they really wanted to find out what was in that box and so they did.

When, they opened the box they found inside many things that Robin seemed to remember having when she was young. Somethings, she remembered and others she didn't but for the most of it she remembers things that her mother gave to her and the first year when her father started showing her boy things. But, she doesn't remember any of the baby things that are in the box.

"Huh, I didn't even know I even owned this." She, says holding up a baby dress. Yes, a dress that she doesn't remember ever wearing it.

"That's, really cute. I'm shocked your father allowed you to wear that." It was supposed to come off as a joke but she wasn't laughing.

"Sorry, that was too soon." He, apologizes and she keeps looking at the dress.

"I never knew I even owned a dress. This, must have been something I wore when I was maybe just a baby. My, mom must've had this but I don't really remember it." Her, happiness that she had when she first opened the box went away and now she's just confused and a bit sad.

"Well, it's really cute. Our, daughter will be really cute wearing this too." He, says dreamily thinking about what he daughter will look like in this dress.

"Yeah." She, says putting the dress down then continuing to look at the rest of the stuff in the box.

"Wow, your father had a lot of stuff from when you were a baby. Maybe, he wasn't so keen about you being a boy." He, thought out loud making Robin really start to think about this which now kind of makes her whole childhood completely wrong.

"I, guess he wasn't. Clearly!" She, says now holding up a pink flowered sweater that she also didn't remember having owned.

"All, my life I thought my father wanted me to be a boy. The, son he never had but maybe I was wrong about that. Maybe, my whole life wasn't what I thought it was like." She's, trying to have this new knowledge settle in her mind but she can't figure out why she's always thought her father wanted a boy.

They, continued to look through the rest of the box and somethings Robin did remember owning. They, went through the box for another hour finding things that she and Barney need for their daughter or son and by the end of the hour and her explaining all the things that were in the box to Barney. She, was still wondering why her father raised her like a son and why she thought that he always wanted a son and not a daughter. After, looking through the box Barney had took all the stuff and brought it into their children's room putting everything that was in the box away in draws and other places.

While, Robin decided to call up her dad to thank him for the stuff he sent. The, questions about why he sent her these things and why he always wanted the son he never had were the lingering questions she has. She's, so confused about her childhood and the years from when she was a baby to about 3 years old then everything after that age changed.

So, Robin calls her father and tries to get the answers to the questions she wants to know. While, Barney spends the amount of time in the room putting the things that were in the box away.


	13. Closure (Robin's Childhood Explained P2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin, finally talks to her father and gets the closure she needs to move on with her life and Barney is right there beside her supporting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter, I really love this chapter because it explains just how Robin's dad was when she was a young girl and baby. This, explains their relationship a lot more, there is a theme in this story that I really like, it's the theme of moving on and changes so that's what this story is truly about. Robin, and her father start to fix their broken relationship and she finds something out that makes her young life different from what she thought.
> 
> FYI: The reason why Robin was dressed like a boy, played boy sports and was raised to be the son her father had wanted is explained but also the reason why he did all that isn't explained in this chapter, I wanted to explain the reason why her father wanted a boy/son not the reason why he raised a girl as a boy. Robin, remember some of her childhood memories but not everything, she just remembers being treated/raised as a boy not the real reason why her young life was the way she thought it was. So, the reason is that it had become an obsession for her father to raise her and do things like a boy and sadly that ruined Robin for later in life. Once, he started he never stopped trying to turn his daughter into the son he never got to have.

Robin, had a lot of questions she wanted to know which is why she wants to talk to her father would hopefully solve all the questions that she has had since her childhood. After, she and Barney went through the entire big box of things her father gave to her, she has been wondering and thinking about her childhood and just how her father had treated her the way he did while growing up and being raised by him. She, was so confused about her life when she was a kid and an infant so Robin wants answers, and she wants them soon. That's, what she decided to do while staying up late last night looking at all the things that was in that box that her father gave her for her children.

She, couldn't figure out what her childhood was really like. She, barely remembers much of her childhood, she mostly knows/remembers only from the ages 10 to her teens. Nothing, younger and she's wondering how she got her childhood and the way she was treated so wrong. She, knew that her father wanted a boy, at least that's what she was told when she was those young ages and what she remembers. Her, father raising her only in his house as the son he never had. What, exactly happened in those years before she left her dad to go live with her mother.

"You're still up?" Barney, had gone to bed the night before waiting for her to join him but she never came in, he ended up going to sleep without her there beside him and it got him worried wondering why she didn't come to bed the night before.

He, found her in the bedroom for their children after a few minutes of wondering where she is. She, had been sitting in the room all night going through all the things that were in the box that were for a girl and trying to figure out what all the girl clothes meant. She, still has no clue on why her dad sent her these things when she doesn't quite remember ever owning them or wearing them. All, night long she was sitting in the rocking chair rocking back and forth holding that one baby girl dress that she hadn't even wanted to put down. She, had started to close her eyes when Barney came into the room breaking the quiet/alone time with the tiny pink flowered baby girl dress in her hand.

"I missed you last night, why are you in here?" He asks, still not getting any response from her.

"I've been thinking." After, she opened her eyes to the sound of her husband's voice she had instantly refocused her attention back to the tiny dress in her hand.

"About?" He, asks walking more inside the room and facing her.

Barney, to be perfectly honest has been really worried about Robin ever since they were given that box with all the signs of her missing childhood as a girl inside it. Ever, since that box was opened she hadn't stopped thinking about that dress and the other girl clothing that was inside it or put the dress down. She, spent all night without much sleep wondering and driving herself crazy thinking about this dress. So, Barney was really worried about what's been going on in his wife's mind since they opened the box the night before.

"This dress. That, box and all the other things that my father gave to us in that box was not just for a boy and I'm wondering what my childhood really was like because I can't begin to remember that part of my life. All, I remember is my father dressing me up as a boy, showing me how to use a gun, showed me how to survive on my own in the wilderness, throwing me into boy activities like hockey and then when I was old enough but not the right age he allowed me to have my first taste of scotch. The, first alcohol I ever drank. And, then when I was a bit older (16) he gave me my first cigar even when at the time I was living with my mom and was starting my career as Robin Sparkles." She looks from the dress then up at Barney standing in front of her then back at the dress in her hand and finally back up at her husband looking at her frowning and giving her that look. That, look that says he understands but is saddened about what she's telling him.

"Look, I know this is weird but the past is the past. I know this is hard to take in and understand but maybe your father had his reasons for the way he wanted to raise you." He, understands the pain she's in but letting this new information about her childhood get to her isn't good for her. To, have this knowledge that her childhood might have been a lie her father told her might just open another can of worms, worms that might destroy her and he can't allow for that to happen. He, can't stand the thought of her unraveling and opening that can of worms that might not be good for her to open.

"No, this is something else entirely. This, is something huge, something that my father wanted me to know that's why he sent us those things. And, it's why I can't remember that part of my childhood. So, yes I have to get some answers on why my father held all these things plus other things back from me." She, was more mad than upset at this time but she tried to keep her voice mellow and low as she made her point on this.

"I don't think it's a very good idea for you to open this can of worms even more than it is right now. I understand how you must feel, after all my childhood was filled with lies and a missing childhood because I had no father and my mother kept a lot of things from me and my brother. So, I understand how you feel but maybe it isn't a good thing to rehash this and agonize over it. Maybe, it should be laid to rest without thinking too much about it." As, he's saying this she's shaking her head no because that's not what she is going to do.

She, stayed up all night thinking about this and made her decision that she needs to talk to her father. In person, just the two of them because she needs closure and she can't have this still lingering making her wonder what her father really kept from her for all these years, it made her lose any kind of memories she's had of her childhood mean nothing anymore. So, no she is not letting this rest she needs to talk to her father and she needs to talk to him as soon as possible because she won't rest on this she needs closure. Barney, had his on closure and now he had a great relationship with his father. So, she needs to do this so she can move on from that part of her life she thought she lived.

"No, I can't do that and you know better than anyone why I can't. We, are alike in that way. I let this destroy life, it's why I went to live with my mother during my teens. I need to talk to my dad, this can not rest and be over unless I talk to my dad and get the right answers to why my childhood memories are something I can now barely remember. I'm, sorry Barney but I have to do this." She, says standing up from the chair then walking over to the dresser they bought for their daughter putting the dress inside it along with the other clothes that were in it.

She, turns back around to face her husband who looks at her with an understanding but a bit disappointed look. He, understands that she needs to do this, she needs closure and he understands that because he himself also needed the closure when his father came back into his life again. So, he's going to let her get the closure she needs so she can move on like he did.

"Okay. I understand, but don't be upset when he tells you something you don't want to hear or know about. I don't want to see you more hurt over his whatever it is he's keeping from you. I can't allow that to happen, so you can get the closure you want but don't be upset or angry when you don't get the answers you want to hear. I was disappointed my whole entire life because I thought it was something I did to allow my father to leave me when I was only six years old and when he came back into my life after years of thinking he never cared about me. He, did care but had another whole life without me and that let me down and disappointed me because I never got to have the life any child has with their dad. Because, his other family had that life. I spent my entire life being lied to and had no one around me when I needed them, no one to care, no one to love me so please don't be hurt even more if your father doesn't tell you what you want to know because it's likely going to destroy you. It destroyed me and turned me into the man you saw when we first met." He's, almost getting emotional over this which gets her to move closer to him, he was standing by the doorway as he was talking and she was standing by the dresser on the other end of the room.

"I won't, I understand why you don't want me to get upset or disappointed. I get it, but I really do need to do this." She, says putting her hands on both sides of his face.

He, looks really upset over this and it's bringing back memories he had tried to bury for the last few years since getting to know his father again. She, gets his reasons for not wanting her to be hurt over this but she needs to do this for closure. So, she and they can both have the right closure they deserve after years of lies and bad memories.

"Okay, I'm not stopping you but don't get hurt I won't allow for that to happen." She, looks at him and nods smiling lightly then gives him a quick kiss.

"I understand, that's why I didn't call my dad last night when I first wanted to. I had to do some thinking before I get answers, but I love you and understand your concerns." Now, he nods and smiles for the first time this morning leaning in to give her a kiss, a much more longer kiss.

"So, I'm going to go call my dad and see if he's free later so we can have the chat that has apparently been 36 years in the making." After, they broke their kiss which was getting a bit more passionate, they wanted to break apart before it got to be more serious because they weren't done with their conversation. They, both have their concerns and they both want the closure not only because Robin wants it but because they both need the answers to the questions she wants to ask her father about.

"But, I have to do this alone by myself with him. Even, though I want you by my side in this I need to do this on my own, okay." He, nods and she leaves the room first to go call her father to see if he's free for later this day.

"So?" Barney, was sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV as Robin was in the bedroom trying to contact her father. He, waited for her to finish up her call hoping that her father can talk to her.

"He, said he's free about 3 so I'm going to meet him at the cigar bar at that time." The cigar bar, had been her place with Barney, it has always been their place and they are now both members of two cigar bars in the city. There is one by their apartment and the other was downtown which was the one they went to all those years ago when they first met.

"Oh, which one?" He, wanted to know so if there was any issue that arises he's just a number away for her to contact so he can be there when she needs him.

"The one two blocks from here. Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own facing him. You, don't have to worry I'll be fine if anything happens I will probably just come home instead of calling you." And, that's just what she does when she meets with her father that afternoon.

"So, what is this meeting about?" Her, father asked as he lights up a cigar. He, had shown up about five minutes after she did so she almost worried that he wasn't going to show, but he did which was good because he never showed up on time for anything ever.

"First, I wanted to thank you for sending me those gifts. Barney and I really loved everything that you gave us. But, that's not what I came here for or why I asked for you to meet with me." Her, father listens on as she continues talking trying to get into this in a more settled way in a closed, quiet, and peaceful environment." She, pauses taking a quick smoke of her own cigar then settles it between in fingers and puts her arm down on the armrest of the chair she's sitting in.

She's, going to do this. She has to do this, so she's quiet for a few minutes then clears her throat ready to say what she wants to ask him hoping that she gets the answers that she wants to know.

"Okay, so I asked you here today because I'm a little confused about something." She, says and her father looks at her wondering what she's getting at.

"What is it?" He, asks she takes a sip of her scotch then settles it back on the table then continues and finishes what she wants to say to him.

"Those, things you sent me. The, girls clothing, the pink and yellow baby blanket, the girls toys all of it. Why, didn't you tell me those things were apart of my childhood? And, why did you send them to me after years of thinking that you wanted a boy and making me think that I was a disappointment to you. Why, would you make my life a living hell as a boy you never had? Making me wonder when I'm almost 40, about what my childhood or even when I was a baby was really like? I want to know why you used me for your own personal ways of life and why you suddenly show an interest in my life as a woman, A WOMAN DAD." She, yells that last part having the few people who were in here turning to look at them but mostly at her when her voice starts to get deeper and angrier.

Her, father was sitting there in shock not knowing what to say. But, she knows by the way he's looking at her and giving her that disappointed/angry face that what she asked is all true. Which, had her yelling a little more at him for another couple of minutes having the bartender then manager try to calm down the excitement going on between Robin and her father.

"Why, did you do that? How could you make me think for years that you were disappointed in me because I wasn't the son you dreamed of having?" Her, voice was first loud then started to quiet down trying to not get worked up again about this.

"I'm, sorry Robin. I truly am, I explained in that letter to you why I did the things I did. That, should have told you my reasons on why I decided to raise you as the boy I thought I would have." And, that last part was not in the letter he wrote to her, this made her even more confused asking him…

"The boy you thought you were going to have?" She, looks at him confused and wondering what he was doing at that time when she was born.

"Yes, the boy I thought I was going to have. I thought your mother was pregnant with a boy, throughout her pregnancy, I swore that you were a boy. That's what the doctor to me and your mother before you were born. But, when you were born, you weren't the boy/son I thought we would have but a girl and when you were born all the hopes and dreams I had for a son, to raise a boy was dashed. That's, why I raised you as the son I never had. And, then when your sister was born I gave up on having a son because by then your mother and I had split. I wasn't happy back then, not even at the time of your birth. I was just not myself and I put my frustrations and dreams onto you. I am so, so sorry that I treated you like that I was just not happy and I took it out on you." He, tells her and all she does is sits there now understanding why her father was the way he was back when she was a young girl. It, started before she was even born and now she's no longer as angry with him as she was.

"Wow, I didn't know. Why did you keep this from me my whole life?" She, wanted to know it does make sense now, she understands why she was treated as the son he never had. He, missed out on have a son and his hopes were dashed when she was born.

"I didn't think about your feelings for along time. But, when we started to get close again after your wedding I started to think. Think, about a lot of things, how I handled my marriage, how I raised you, how I was when I was young when you were just born. I really started thinking about all the mistakes I made after your Thanksgiving party, after I left your apartment. I'm really sorry how I disrespected you and your husband but after that I started to think and I realized that, the fact that you are having a baby, well two babies. I thought about the fact that I was going to be a grandpa and realized I have to apologize to you for the way I treated you, so that's why I sent you those gifts. It was my apology for the way I handled myself and the disappointments in my life. So, Robin I really am truly sorry for how I treated you, and I'm so happy to be a grandfather because then I can be more part of your life, your life I missed out on ever since you moved in with your mother." By, this point Robin is in tears now seeing his side of things and realizing why she thought her childhood was the way it was.

"I, I am so sorry dad. I want you to be part of my family, you are part of my family." She, says giving Robin Sr. a hug. Yes, a hug something she never did ever in her life or he has done but in this moment she wanted to hug her father and he surprisingly accepted the hug without any struggle or protest.

"I'm, sorry for yelling before I was just too mad at you but I apologize for the way I acted before I really knew the reason why you were the way you were." Her, father also accepts her apology as they break the hug and then they put out their cigars, finished up their scotches and headed out.

"One, last thing before we go our separate ways. I wanted to know how did you get those girl clothes, all those girl items you sent me. Were, those from when I was a baby?" She asks, wondering about the girl clothes he sent her, almost forgetting the most important question she's had ever since she saw that pink flowered dress.

"Those, were from when you were a baby. People, family, friends sent those to us when you were born I remembered still having them so I called your mother and she sent those to me to send to you." And, now she remembers seeing those clothes in her mother's closet when she was around 15? But, why doesn't she remember ever wearing or owning them.

"Why, do I not remember ever owning those clothes. I thought I only own the boy clothes you gave to me." She, still doesn't understand this or why he kept these clothes from her, young girl life.

"Because, I didn't want you to wear them at the time so we never had you wear them. But, I did have them and remember having them so when you got a bit older I gave them to your mother and she kept them. I asked her if she still had them and she said yes, she used them for your sister after we split up." And, now she understands the whole story and why she always thought about her childhood in the way she did.

"Oh, one more thing before we go. I want to invite you to dinner maybe this weekend or next week?" Robin, wanted to have a better relationship with her father and this meeting really was a good start so she wants to invite him over to dinner for the first time since she and Barney got married.

"Um, yeah sure I would like that." Robin, gives her father one last hug then they head off in different directions.

"So, how did it go?" Barney, asked as soon as she walked in the door.

"It, went quite interestingly well." He, looks at her oddly wondering what she means by interestingly.

"Interesting?"

"Yeah. I thought all my life one thing but it was really something else entirely. I'm, just really shocked." She, says putting her coat on the coat hanger by the door and then sitting down next to Barney on the couch.

"Shocked? What happened at that meeting?" He, asks wanting to know everything that went on with her and her father.

"For, starters my father had a whole different outlook on how he wanted his life to go." She, starts and he listens not knowing what to say so he lets her continue.

"He, wanted a son. He dreamed of a son, he pictured a son but ended up with me. He, wanted a different life but never got that life so he used what he wanted on me and that changes how I thought I was raised and why he treated me the way he did." She's not emotional over this anymore, but when she's talking her voice starts to get a bit scratchy but she tries to keep her emotions at bay and continues telling Barney what she now knows.

"He, couldn't deal with having a daughter and wanted a son so he used me as the son he never got to have. I guess, I kind of forgive him for everything because he didn't know how to handle the fact that he was really unhappy with his life. Back, then he was in a lot of pain and he was young and acted out his frustrations and disappointment and put that onto me." He, almost wants to run out and ring her father's neck but he also knows that her father was messed up and lost, much like he was throughout his life, until he met Robin and fell in love with her. So, he understands why her father was the way he was he just hates the way he treated his daughter.

He, pulls her into him and she instantly rests her head on his chest. It's become a habit, in all these years since falling in love with him she doesn't even think about putting her head or hand on his chest because it was always somehow comforting and relaxing, it calmed her in a way that nothing else does and she secretly loves when she does this, when they are like this in this kind of way. It's, another way of being romantic but without any big romantic things added to it.

"I, guess I understand it still makes me mad the way he treated you but I get it. I was like him, too and it really did mess me up to the point of the way I was before I met you. If it wasn't for you, I would still be the way I was, and I really, now realize how unhappy I was before I fell in love with you. So, I understand, every man takes lives disappointments all kinds of different ways it's just how we deal. I did it with sleeping around and your father did it by making you into the son he never had. I'm, sorry he was the way he was though so are you forgiving him or do you want to disown him?" She, laughs at the last part of that, then looks up at him and sees the concern but understanding in his eyes. She, reaches up to his cheek and puts her hand on it rubbing it softly then pulls her down to him and kisses him.

"We're good. I invited him to dinner sometime this weekend or next week we haven't worked it out yet but he wants to be apart of my life and our son and daughter's lives too." He, likes this. It's nice to know that her father is apologizing to Robin for all those years of mistreating her and is making an effort to be apart of her life again, and not just her life but their children's lives as well.

"That's, great I'm really glad you got the closure you needed now you can move on and have a relationship with your father. I know it will take more time to really be over the way he treated you but I've forgave my dad but it took time, I do think it's great that he's come this far and is being the father you should have had when you were young." She, rests her head back on his chest the way it was a few minutes ago, she had taken it off for a little while while he was talking but then put it back to go back in the relaxed position of a little while ago.

They, watch some TV for a couple of hours before calling for takeout to have dinner. But, after all these years her father and her are finally going to be part of each other's lives and she finally has the closure she always wanted.


End file.
